Avicena, príncipe de los médicos. Vida, obra y legado para la medicina contemporánea / Avicena, the doctors' prince. Life, works and legacy for the contemporary medicine

La historia de la Medicina está directamente relacionada con el surgimiento del hombre. Desde los tiempos de Hipócrates, antes de nuestra era, cuando existía la incertidumbre de definirla como arte o ciencia, no hubo un médico que entregara tanto aporte verdaderamente investigativo, con carácter científico como Avicena, sabio indiscutible del Medioevo, de los siglos X y XI de la época contemporánea. Su herencia a la humanidad fue muy importante, en especial sobre Filosofía y Medicina, aunque consolidó conceptos y conocimientos de prácticamente todas las áreas del saber. Su nombre llegó casi a ser sinónimo de la propia Medicina. Su monumental obra contribuyó, sin dudas, al desarrollo y a la sedimentación de la civilización humana, trascendó las fronteras del tiempo hasta la actualidad. Fue un hombre multifacético admirable, pero especialmente un médico teórico y práctico incomparable, que con su claridad de ideas y con elevado rigor científico, se trasladó de modo extraordinario hasta la época actual. Su frescura de pensamiento, sus razonamientos, su creatividad científica de fuerza titánica y un estilo único, fueron y aún son, elementos fundamentales para la expansión y el desarrollo de la ciencia universal. En nuestro medio existe poca información sobre la personalidad y la obra de tan distinguida persona, por lo que se realiza la siguiente revisión con el objetivo de profundizar en estos aspectos de su vida y divulgarlos al personal médico en formación(AU)

The history of the Medicine is directly related with the man's emergence. From the times of Hipócrates, before our era, when the uncertainty existed of defining it as art or science, there was not a doctor that gave to this so much truly investigative contribution, with scientific character as Avicena, unquestionable sage of the Middle Ages, of the centuries X and XI of the contemporary time. Its inheritance to the humanity was very important, particularly on Philosophy and Medicine, although it consolidated concepts and knowledge of practically all the areas of the knowledge. Their name ended up almost being synonymous of the own Medicine. Their monumental work contributed, without doubts, to the development and the sedimentation of the human civilization, transcending the frontiers of the time until the present. It was an admirable multifaceted man, but very especially an incomparable theoretical and practical doctor that with their clarity of ideas and with high scientific rigor, it transferred incredibly and in an extraordinary way until the current time. Their thought freshness, their reasoning, their scientific creativity of titanic force and an unique style, they were and they are still, fundamental elements for the expansion and the development of the universal science. In our means little information exists about the personality and so distinguished person's work, for which we carried out the following bibliographical review with the objective to deepen in these aspects of his life and to disclose them to the medical personnel in formation(AU)

The middle ages contributions to cardiovascular medicine

Abstract The historical period called the Middle Ages, a long interval between the 5th and the 15th centuries, is still commonly known as the Dark Ages, especially in the area of health sciences. In the last decades, this "classic" view of the Middle Ages has been gradually modified with advances in historiographical studies and the history of science. During that period in Western Europe, knowledge about the human body suffered a regression in terms of anatomy and physiology, with the predominance of religious conceptions mainly about diseases and their treatments. Knowledge on the cardiovascular system and heart diseases has been classically described as a repetition of the concepts developed by Galen from the dissection of animals and his keen sense of observation. However, the Middle East, especially Persia, was the birth place of a lot of intellectuals who preserved the ancient knowledge of the Greeks while building new knowledge and practices, especially from the 8th to the 13th century. The invasion of the Arabs in North of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula and the eclosion of the Crusades resulted in a greater contact between the East and the West, which in turn brought on the arrival of the Arab medical knowledge, among others, to 12th century Europe. Such fact contributed to an extremely important change in the scientific medical knowledge in the West, leading to the incorporation of different concepts and practices in the field of cardiovascular Medicine. The new way of teaching and practicing Medicine of the great Arab doctors, together with the teaching hospitals and foundations in the Koran, transformed the Medicine practiced in Europe definitely. The objective of this paper is to describe the knowledge drawn up from the Middle Ages about the cardiovascular system, its understanding and therapeutic approach to cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons.

role of Ibn Sina [Avicenna]'s medical poem in the transmission of medical knowledge to medieval Europe

The Medical Poem ["Al-Urjuzah Fi Al-Tibb"] of Ibn Sina [Avicenna, 980-1037], is the subject of this primary-source study evaluating its scientific value, poetics and pedagogical significance as well as assessing its role in the transmission of medical knowledge to Medieval Europe. In addition to one original manuscript and two modern editions, the English translation by Krueger was also studied. Ibn Sina's poem on medicine consisting of meticulously classified 1326 verses, can be considered as a poetic summary of his encyclopedic textbook: The Canon of Medicine; hence its popularity in the East then the West as a tool in the process of transmitting medical knowledge from master to student. Since first translated by Gerard of Cremona [1114-1187] in the middle of the 12[th] century, the Latinized poem was frequently published in Medieval Europe either independently or combined with the Latinized Canon of Medicine or with the Articella; the famous collection of Greco-Roman and Latinized Arabian medical treatises in use in the universities of Salerno, Montpelier, Bologna and Paris up to the 17[th] century. The study of the Krueger's English edition revealed few places where the full meanings of the original Arabic text were not conveyed. A list of those places is given together with the suggested corrections

Historical perpective of shaqeeqa [Migraine] with special reference to contribution of greco-arab physicians

The current practice of medicine indebted much to the knowledge and achievements of the past. It is really surprising that far back Greco-Arab physicians were aware of the various diseases and mentioned them in a scientific manner. Most of the knowledge is still in practice. Modern days practice relies on the fundamentals proposed by them. In the classical text of Unani Medicine, headache is described in detail. The Shaqeeqa [migraine] is described nearly in all classical text of Unani medicine as a disease entity includes definition, aetiopathology, clinical feature and treatment

Summary of Hui prescriptions for stroke / 中国中药杂志

Current Hui prescriptions are mostly recorded in the Arabic language. Their fussy and inconsistent names (Arabic names) result in the restriction in the clinical application of Hui prescriptions. Having collected and screened out 101 Hui prescriptions for stroke, the author further studied some of their names in literatures, in order to facilitate clinical application of these prescriptions (i. e. unification of their Arabic and Chinese names, and textual research of identical drugs with different Arabic names). This lays a foundation for the clinical application of Hui prescriptions and the analysis on compatibility regulatory, and provides scientific basis for studies on new Hui medicines.

neurosciences in Averroes' "principles of medicine"

One of the fundamental advances of the transition of the Middle Ages to the Renaissance was the rediscovery of the Greek philosophers. Among the greatest representatives of this epoch we find the Cordovan doctor and philosopher Averroes [Ibn Rushd] who, with his commentaries on the works of Aristotle, brought a new philosophical vision to Western Europe. His contribution to medicine has been overshadowed to some extent by this great work of philosophy. Our intention is to evaluate, in the context of the neurosciences, the vision of health and sickness that he left us in his book "The Book of the Principles of Medicine. The organisation of the Kulliyat is based on Aristotelian concepts. Averroes regarded the nervous system not as single entity but rather as a complex of various elements. The anatomy of the nervous system is studied in two parts: the encephalus and the periphery. Both the encephalic nervous system and the sensory organs are regarded as heterogeneous organs. Averroes structures the anatomical order without taking into account the local movements of the living body. The mission of the senses is to maintain contact between external reality and the structure of the organism. This requires an external process, a point of union and an internal process. The ultimate goal is the preservation of health in a balanced disposition and the cure of disease in the organism in disequilibrium

Concepts of orthopedic disorders in Avicenna's canon of medicine

This manuscript offers a brief review of the orthopedic subjects in the Canon of Medicine. Highlights include, but are not limited to, the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system, fractures and dislocations, nerve and tendon injuries, different types of wounds and ulcers, and bone infections. Some of the concepts regarding musculoskeletal disorders remain relevant to current orthopedic knowledge. Reviewing the orthopedic subjects in the Canon of Medicine reveals that Avicenna has made a significant contribution to the evolution of orthopedic knowledge

Avicenna's canon of medicine and modern urology part IV: normal voiding, dysuria, and oliguria

Avicenna, the Iranian scientist, describes the mechanisms of normal voiding in his famous book, the Canon of Medicine. Then, he enumerates urinary symptoms. In this article, his discussion on dysuria, its causes, and its pathophysiology is compared with these concepts in modern urology. Avicenna points to some etiologic theories of interstitial cystitis and chronic prostatitis. In the Canon, we can distinguish bases of the theory of infection and mucosal theory, along with abnormalities of urine, psychological factors, and abnormalities in prostatic secretions. Avicenna also indicates some differential diagnoses of and associated disorders with interstitial cystitis. His short but rather concise discussion on oliguria and its causes is an interesting point for urologists and nephrologists

place of avicenna in the history of medicine

Avicenna, a Muslim scientist of the tenth and eleventh centuries has an important place in the history of medicine in Iran and the world Furthermore, the modern medicine is laid upon the infrastructure of his medicine. In this article, the position of Avicenna in the medical history and the scientific influence of his medical works in particular Al-Canon in the development of medical literature and medical educational programs have been studied in a historical approach. In reviewing the position of Avicenna in the history of medicine in the Islamic world and the Europe, it was concluded that during 11th to 17th centuries, the scientific and educational activities of medicine in the world were moving on the pivot of Avicenna medicine or was under its intensive influence

Development and validation of the arabic allergic rhinitis quality of life questionnaire

To develop and validate an Arabic allergic rhinitis quality of life questionnaire [AAQQ]. The study was conducted at the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic at the University of Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan, from February 2006 to June 2007. A questionnaire was developed from data obtained from 90 patients, and the validation study was conducted on 140 patients. The study was a 5-week observational study. We evaluated the measurement properties necessary for use of the AAQQ in clinical practice, clinical trials, and cross-sectional surveys. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the repeated AAQQ measurements was excellent [0.93], indicating a very high reliability and repeatability of the instrument. Cross-sectional correlations and longitudinal construct validity between the AAQQ and the other measures of health status was close to the priori predictions, and similar to those obtained in the literature for similar scales. The responsiveness index for the AAQQ was high [1.04], and higher than that reported for similar instruments. The results from the validation study provide evidence that the AAQQ has strong discriminative and evaluative measurement properties, and can be used in patient monitoring, cross-sectional surveys, and clinical trials. The AAQQ has the combined advantage of being short, and contains the most important items and domains

Evolución histórica de la medicina

Contenido: Medicina primitiva. Medicina amerindia. Medicina en la Mesopotamia asiática. Medicina egipcia. Medicina china. Medicina india. Medicina en la antigua Grecia. Medicina en la antigüedad israelí y en los comienzos del cristianismo. Medicina en la antigua Roma. Medicina clínica en la Edad Media. Medicina del Renacimiento. Medicina del siglo XVII. Medicina del siglo XVIII. Medicina del siglo XIX. Medicina del siglo XX. Perspectivas de la medicina clínica del siglo XXI...

[ use of Arabic in the World Health Organization. Part two]

In part one of this paper we discussed the use of Arabic as an official and working language in the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and WHO Headquarters. We reviewed the arrangements made to rationalize the Arabic activities in WHO, the development of an authentic Arabic version of the WHO constitution, the impact of WHO restructuring on the Arabic programme and the establishment of the Arab Centre for Medical Literature in Kuwait. In this part we address the developments in Arabic medical terminology, the establishment of the Regional Arabic Programme and the unified WHO Programme of Arabic publications, and last but not least, the production of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal in English, French and Arabic