Meet the first of the secret scientists. His name is Abu Ali Al-Hussayn Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sina popularly called Ibn Sina . He is known in the West as Avicenna. He is referred to as the father of modern clinical medicine in some quarters.
Birth and Educational Background
He was born in Uzbekistan in 980 CE and died in Iran in 1037 CE. He was an intelligent fellow who had a flair for knowledge and learning from an early age. He is reported to have memorized the entire Qur'an (the Muslim Holy book) as early as age 10. This is indeed no easy feat.
Remarkable achievements and contribution to knowledge
It is reported that he studied various fields of knowledge and started practicing medicine as early as age 16, become a well known physician by age 18.
He is reported to have over 450 works to his credit covering medicine, philosophy, physics, mathematics and metaphysics. Just to mention a few.
His most notable works in the field of health/medicine are :
*Al Qanun fi Al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine)
*Kitab Al-Shifa (The book of healing)
The Canon was later translated to other languages such as Latin. It was used as the standard medical text in Europe till the mid 17th Century. It was indeed a medical encyclopedia of 5 volumes. It contained information from Greek, Indian and Chinese medicine alongside procedures for the use of medicinal plants and compounds for the treatment of illnesses.
Other notable contents of the Canon are:
*Procedure for the use of forceps during difficult deliveries
*Procedure for Cataract surgery
*A framework for conducting clinical trials of drugs comprising dosage and efficacy
Ibn Sina is reported to have favoured a wholistic approach to treatment of patients by not limiting it to drugs but also including the patient's diet.
Aside being a physician, Ibn Sina is also known for being a philosopher, astronomer and mathematician.
For further reading visit the references via the links below
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Have you ever heard of Ibn Sina before now? What have you heard about him that isn't contained in this write up? Please leave your views in the comment section.
If this made for a good read, please see part 2 in the series TSS2: The Father of Algebra.
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