Judham, Baras, Wadah, Bahaq and Quwaba': a study of term and concepts in "Al Qanun Fit Tib" of Ibn-Sina

ABSTRACT

Judham and Baras were confused at a very early time before Islam, and this confusion is still widespread to the present day. On the other hand, Baras was also confused with other terms and concepts, like Wadah and Bahaq in Arabic medical literature, which stigmatized these terms as being related to Judham. Western scholars tend to consider that all these terms indicate leprotic lesions or different types and stages of leprosy. Some of them include also other descriptive terms such as Bayadh, Barash, Raqash, Sala', Baqa', Raqat, and Quwaba', even if they were used to describe other skin disorders. In this study the meaning of these terms as described in Al Qanun of Ibn-Sina was elucidated according to the contemporary scientific medical knowledge