Avicenna and Neuroscience in the Canon of Medicine

Introduction

Avicenna (Ibn-e-Sı¯na¯), a Persian physician, was arguably one of the most outstanding medical scientists and practitioners ever, and had a deep influence on medical science in the golden ages of Islamic medicine (9–12th century AD) and in Europe as well. He contributed to various aspects of medicine including neurology, a discipline that was very well known and widely accepted in that period.

Biography of Avicenna

Avicenna (Ibn Sina) was born in Afshaneh, near the city of Bokhara (in old Persia) in 980AD. His father, Abdollah, was a local governor and his mother’s name was Setareh. His cleverness was obvious since his childhood. He finished learning the Quran and important Persian writings when he was only 10 years old, started to learn philosophy and medicine, and became a famous physician when he was just 18. When the prince of the Samanid dynasty (Nuh) had been treated by him, he gave Avicenna permission to use the royal library as a reward. It was a great chance for him to get access to many important and unique books and complete his knowledge.

The migration of Avicenna

After the Samanid dynasty was defeated by the Turkish leader (Mahmood Ghaznavi), Avicenna went to Jorjan, in the north of Iran. He also lived in other parts of Iran such as Ray (near Tehran), Hamedan (west of Iran), and Isfahan (central Iran). After he became involved in politics he had a tough life, becoming a prisoner as well as prime minister. He wrote more than 450 treatises on medicine, philosophy, logic, and astronomy, many of these manuscripts were created in prison.

The Canon of Medicine

His great medical manuscript, Al-Qanun-fi-al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) was translated in Latin by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century AD. Avicenna’s The Canon of Medicine became a main reference work for medicine in the Western countries until the 16th century.

Neuroscience in the Canon of Medicine

The book in divided into five volumes on medical science, neuroscience being described in the third volume. The chapter begins by explaining the structure and function of the nervous system, viz. parts of the brain, the spinal cord, ventricles, meninges, nerves and roots, followed by a description of neurological and neuropsychological disorders, including signs and symptoms and treatment strategies. Among the specific conditions in the field of neurology and neuropsychiatry, he mentions epilepsy in children and adults (Omo-al-sabian and sare’), apoplexy and stroke (sakteh), paralysis (falej), vertigo (davar), spasm (tashanoj), wry mouth (laghve), tremor (ra’she), meningitis (lisarghos, gharanits, sarsaam), amnesia and dementia (nosyan and fesad-al-zekr), head injuries and traumas (shekastegi-e-sar), hysteria and conversion disorder (ekhtenagh-e-rahem), fainting and stupor (ghash), nervous tic (ekhtelaj), sexual disorders (jemae), love sickness (eshgh), delusion and hallucination (vahm), insomnia (sahr), sopor (sobat), nightmare (kabus or bakhtak), mania and psychosis (mania and dae’-al-kalb or Jonoun), melancholia (malikhulia), paranoia (ghotrab), asthenia (kheder), hydrocephalus (mae’-fi-al-ra’s) and sciatica (ergh-al-nesa).

Simple medicines and compound medicines

Simple medicines (mofradat) are mentioned as a second step. Simple medicines consist of an active ingredient,such as a herbal, animal, or mineral substance. Avicenna considered compound medicines (morakabat) as a third step; these include more than a single active ingredient, in traditional dosage forms (gharabadin). In his view, simple remedies were always preferable to complex drugs because they had fewer side-effects. Over 300 simple and compound medicines are recorded in The Canon of Medicine for neurological conditions.

Concluding remarks

Avicenna gave a great impetus to medical science in his time. Muslims in the first period of the Islamic era gathered knowledge from neighboring civilizations, such as Persian, Greek, and Roman medical texts by translating their manuscripts and so promoted medical knowledge in the medieval period. Therefore, Avicenna’s contribution to improving medical knowledge is far reaching. He was called ‘‘Sheikh-al-Ra’eis’’ in Persia and ‘Prince of Physicians’ in the West. When he died in 1037 AD, he was only 57 years old; he was buried in the city of Hamedan.

Reference:

• Aciduman A, Er U, Belen D (2009) Peripheral nerve disorders and treatment strategies according to Avicenna in his medical treatise, Canon of Medicine. Neurosurgery 64:172–178
• Ahmet A, Deniz B, Serkan S (2006) Management of spinal disorders and trauma in Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine. Neurosurgery 59:397–403
• Amr SS, Tbakhi A (2007) Ibn Sı¯na¯ (Avicenna): the prince of physicians. Ann Saudi Med 27:134–135
• Avicenna (1998) Canon of Medicine. Translated into English by Hameed HA. S. Waris Nawab, Senior Press Superintendent, Jamia Hamdard Printing Press, New Delhi
• Diamantis A, Sidiropoulou K, Magiorkinis E (2010) Epilepsy during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. J Neurol 257:691–698
• Zargaran, A., Mehdizadeh, A., Zarshenas, M.M. et al. Avicenna (980–1037 AD). J Neurol 259, 389–390