Avicenna's canon of medicine and modern urology. Part I: bladder and its diseases

ABSTRACT

Studying the Avicenna's Canon of Medicine, provides noteworthy information on the subjects related to urology. Some examples of these amazing items have been confirmed by the modern urology explaining the 2-stage function of the bladder [filling and emptying stages]; indirect pointing to a scientific law, named later as the Laplace's law, which is applicable to bladder physiology and explains intravesical pressure stability; describing the bladder layers and strength of the urothelial layer, which was later proved to be due to the tight junctions; describing the intramural ureter and its antireflux mechanism; scientific classifying the urethral and bladder diseases; and describing meticulously the semiology and epidemiology of bladder calculi. Avicenna has also pointed to inversion therapy in the treatment of urinary calculi, grating sign in bladder calculi, manipulation methods for treatment of bladder calculi, and finally, the Crede maneuver. His methodology is completely scientific, based on experiments and truly a basis of the modern medicine. This article is a review of Avicenna's views in medicine and their comparison with the modern urology