Read the biography of the philosopher: briefly about life, main ideas, teachings, philosophy
AVICENNA (IBN SINA)
(c. 980-1037)

Scientist, philosopher, doctor, musician Lived in Central Asia and Iran, was a doctor and vizier under various rulers.

In philosophy he continued the traditions of Arab Aristotelianism, partly Neoplatonism. The main philosophical works “The Book of Healing”, “The Book of Directions and Instructions”, “The Book of Knowledge”, the encyclopedia of theoretical and clinical medicine “The Canon of Medical Science” (in 5 parts).

In the East he was called “ash-Sheikh”, the Sage, the Spiritual Guide, or “ar-Rais”, the Head, the Ruler, but most of all he was known by the name combining both epithets, “ash Sheikh ar Rais”. He had another honorary title, “Hujat al-Haq,” that is, the Authority of Truth. And in the West, in medieval Christian Europe, he became famous under the Latinized name Avicenna.

Abu Ali al-Hussein Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina is the full name of the great scientist and philosopher.

Al-Sheikh ar-Rais was born in 980 in one of the villages near Bukhara. His father, a financial and tax official, was not devoid of scientific and philosophical knowledge and was associated with Ismaili circles. In its philosophical content, Ismaili teaching was a synthesis of ancient wisdom and the religious and philosophical views of the East. According to conversations at home with Ismailis who came from Fatimid Egypt, he, according to him, became familiar with certain philosophical concepts even in childhood.

He told his student about this this way: “My father was among those who responded to the preaching of the Egyptians and began to be considered an Ismaili. He, and with him my brother, listened to their discussions about the soul and mind as they talk about it and how they themselves understand it "Sometimes they would discuss these issues among themselves, and I listened to them, I understood what they were talking about, but I didn’t accept it with my soul, and they began to convince me. They also started conversations about philosophy, geometry and Indian arithmetic."

These conversations took place in Bukhara, when Abu Ali, who had moved here with his family, had already received his primary education, having studied, in particular, the Koran and verbal disciplines by the age of ten so thoroughly that he was “amazed.” Having then mastered the basics of Islamic law and mathematics, Abu-Ali began studying with the scientist Abu-Abdallah an-Natili, who came to Bukhara. The studies moved quickly, and soon the gifted student himself had to explain to the teacher some questions that were too subtle for that. After that, he began independently studying books on physics and metaphysics.

“Soon,” recalls Ibn Sina, “a penchant for medicine awoke in me, and I began to study the works devoted to it. Medical science is by no means difficult, and therefore I succeeded in it in a very short time so much that I "medicine was started by doctors revered by all. While I was treating the sick, methods of treatment revealed to me through experience that had not been described anywhere. And at that time I was sixteen years old."

Work on primary sources and commentary works on logic, physics and mathematics proceeded at a very intense pace.

“During this time, there wasn’t even a night when I got enough sleep, and there was no case that I did anything extraneous during the day. I put sheets of paper in front of me in a stack and, sorting out the evidence, each time I wrote down what syllogistic they had premises, what their order is, what conclusions can follow from them, and at the same time I tried not to lose sight of the conditions to which their premises must meet, and so on until finally the question became clear to me.

If I didn’t get along with this or that question and the middle term of the syllogism was not given to me in it, I went to the cathedral mosque and prayed, calling on the Creator of the Universe for help, until what was closed was unlocked for me, and what was made easier was it was a lot of work. Returning home, I placed a lamp in front of me and again began to read and take notes.

Every time I was overcome by sleep or felt tired, I turned to a cup of wine and drank so that my strength would return, and then resumed my studies, and every time sleep took over me, the same questions appeared to me in a dream, and Quite a few of them became clear to me in my dreams. And this continued until I finally became stronger in all the sciences and began to understand them to the best of human capabilities. Everything that I knew then is as if I knew it only now; to this day absolutely nothing has been added to it,” the philosopher said many years later.

However, it was while studying Aristotle’s Metaphysics that young Abu Ali encountered unexpected difficulties.

“The idea of ​​this book turned out to be so unclear to me that it had already been re-read forty times and was remembered by heart, but I still could not understand either it itself or its purpose. In despair, I told myself this is a book to comprehend there is no way."

But an incident helped that brought him to a book market and confronted him with a bookseller, who gave him a certain book on philosophy for three dirhams.

“I buy it,” he recalls, “and it turns out that this is an essay by Abu Nasr al-Farabi on the purposes of the book “Metaphysics.” Returning home, I immediately began reading, and the purposes of this book were immediately revealed to me, because it was even before me "I remembered it by heart. Rejoicing, the next day I generously gave gifts to the poor in thanksgiving to Allah Almighty."

Of the two works by al-Farabi dedicated to "Metaphysics", the one known as the "Book of Letters" most likely fell into the hands of Abu Ali. Meanwhile, fame had already spread about Ibn Sina as a skilled doctor. This rumor also reached the ruler of Bukhara, Nukh Ibn Mansur, who suffered from an illness that his doctors were unable to cope with. The emir summoned seventeen-year-old Abu Ali, and he, after participating in his treatment, “earned distinction by serving him,” receiving, in particular, access to a rare collection of books in the emir’s library (the library soon burned down, and evil tongues said that this the work of Abu Ali, who in this way sought to monopolize the knowledge gleaned from unique books).

By the age of eighteen, Abu Ali again emphasizes, “all these sciences were already finished. Since then, absolutely nothing has been updated for me.” Years of study gave way to years of wandering, when Abu Ali’s father died and he could no longer stay in Bukhara, which had previously come under the rule of the Karakhanids. Between 1002 and 1005, Ibn Sina moved to Gurganj, the capital of Khorezm, which, while remaining aloof from political storms, was then experiencing a period of prosperity.

The scientific life of the city was concentrated around the “Mamun Academy”, which united a number of famous scientists, among whom al-Biruni, al-Masihi, al-Hammar and al-Arraq stood out. Ibn Sina also joined this scholarly community, who, upon arrival in Gurganj, was accepted into the service of Khorezmshah Ali Ibn Mamun.

According to the information contained in the “Four Conversations” of Nizami Aruzi, Ibn Sina and other scientists at the Khorezmshah’s court “had complete security in worldly goods” and lived in harmony, enjoying scientific discussions and correspondence. But around 1008, this tranquil life gave way for Ibn Sina to a series of wanderings throughout Khorasan and Tabaristan.

Ibn Sina preferred not to talk about the reason for his forced departure from Khorezm, but it is revealed in the work of Nizami Aruzi.

The fact is that Mahmud Ghaznavid sent an ambassador to Ali Ibn Mamun with a letter in which he invited (and actually demanded) the famous scientists who were at the court of the Khorezmshah to come to him. Having summoned them, the Khorezmshah admitted that he could not disobey the order of the formidable conqueror, but left the decision on accepting the “invitation” to the discretion of the scientists themselves Al-Biruni, al-Hammar and al-Arraq were forced to accept it, and Ibn Sina and al-Masihi rejected . Having ordered the latter to immediately leave the city, the Khorezmshah announced to the Sultan's ambassador that the invitation of his master had been accepted by three scientists, and Ibn Sina and al-Masihi were not in Khorezm.

Abu Ali's daring act infuriated the Sultan; he ordered his portrait to be reproduced in "forty copies" and sent to all corners with instructions to find the obstinate man and deliver him to Ghazna. But these measures did not achieve anything.

Ibn Sina’s wanderings, at the very beginning of which he buried al-Masikha, who died of thirst, in the sands of the Khorezm desert, ended in Gurgan (Jurjan). Here, one of the local fans of science settled the scientist in a house specially purchased for him, where al-Juzjani, who visited him every day, wrote down the treatises he created under the dictation of the teacher.

During the Gurgan period of creativity (1012-1014), Ibn Sina, in particular, began to work on the “Canon of Medical Science”. The persecution of Mahmud did not stop, and Abu Ali again set out on a journey that led him this time to Ray, a city that, under the Buyid ruler Fakhr ad-Daula, became a large scientific center with a rich library.

By the time Ibn Sina arrived, the situation here was such that power in the emirate was usurped by the widow of Fakhr ad-Daula, regent under his son and heir Majd ad-Daula. At the court of the “empress” Abu Ali performed the duties of a doctor. Repeated attempts by Sultan Mahmud to get Ibn Sina to his side forced him to leave this city, from where he first went to Qazvin and then to Hamadan.

The years of his life in Hamadan (1015-1024) were marked by the fact that he combined his scientific activities with a very active participation in the political and government affairs of the emirate. For the successful treatment of the ruler of Hamadan, Shams ad-Daula, he received the position of vizier, but made enemies in military circles, who were probably not satisfied with his ideas, which he outlined at the same time in the book “Conducting affairs related to the army, the Mamelukes, warriors, their provisions and collection of state taxes."

It got to the point that the vizier’s house was besieged and plundered, and he himself was captured and almost lost his life. The emir rejected the military's demand to put Ibn Sina to death, but made a compromise decision to remove him from his post and send him outside his domain."

For forty days, Abu Ali hid with one of his acquaintances, until the emir suffered another attack of illness that beset him, which forced him to find the scientist, apologize to him and appoint him again as his minister.

Al-Juzjani, who constantly followed his teacher everywhere, invited him to begin commenting on the works of Aristotle.

New changes in the life of Abu Ali occurred after Shams ad-Daula died from another attack that happened to him during the campaign and power in the emirate passed to his son Ibn Sina. He was offered to take up the post of vizier again, but he refused and offered his services to the Emir of Isfahan Alya ad-Daula, entering into secret correspondence with him.

While, hiding in the house of a certain pharmacist, the scientist was working on the “Book of Healing”, the secret of his relations with the Isfahan ruler was revealed, his enemies revealed the place where he was hiding, Ibn Sina was captured and imprisoned in a fortress.

During the four months spent in prison, Abu Ali wrote three works, including “Treatise on Haya, the son of Yakzan.” Ibn Sina was still in captivity when Hamadan was taken by the troops of Al ad-Daula, and the defeated emir found himself in that the same fortress, where he recently transported the former vizier as a prisoner.

After Alya ad-Daula left the city, the Hamadan ruler left the fortress with Ibn Sina and turned to him with generous promises, offering to stay with him, but the persuasion was in vain. At the first opportunity, Abu Ali, disguised as a dervish, slipped out of the city and headed to Isfahan.

At the court of Al-ad-Daula he was given a warm welcome. The emir ordered that meetings of scientists be held every Friday in his presence, and according to al-Juzjani, his teacher was not surpassed by anyone in any of the branches of knowledge touched upon there.

The last years of his life (1024-1037) spent in Isfahan were the most fruitful for Ibn Sina. This was greatly facilitated by the sympathetic attention that he received in his scientific aspirations from the emir (the historiographer Ibn al-Athir characterizes the latter as a “bad believer” and accuses him of falling into “heresy” precisely because of his corrupting influence " and rebelled against revealed religion).

It was here that he completed his encyclopedic “Book of Healing” (the last sections were written during the campaign in which Abu Ali accompanied the emir) and created other important philosophical works “Book of Salvation”, “Book of Knowledge”, “Book of Instructions and Notes”, “Eastern philosophy" and "The Book of Fair Trials".

The manuscript of the last of these works, numbering twenty volumes, soon disappeared during the enemy invasion of the Ghaznavids. The paths of Abu Ali and Sultan Mahmud (and from 1031 his successor Masud) never crossed because the free-thinking philosopher who valued his independence did not want this. But it was precisely this circumstance that largely determined his entire wandering life, and it ultimately brought his death closer. According to al-Juzjani, his fatal illness (colic) began during the unsuccessful military actions of Alya ad-Daula, which he took against one of the Ghaznavid commanders, famous for his reprisals against the inhabitants of Ray and Persian Iraq.

“Fearing that the emir would be forced to retreat and that he would not be able to retreat with everyone because of his illness, the Teacher wanted to be cured at all costs and washed out his intestines eight times a day. As a result, one of his intestines became inflamed, ulcers formed in it. Together with Alya ad-Daula, he had to quickly move in the direction of Izaj, and there he began to have seizures, which are sometimes accompanied by attacks of colic. In this state, the Teacher was taken to Isfahan, where he took care of himself so much that he was unable to able to stand on his feet, he did not stop treating himself until he was able to walk and visit the court of Al ad-Daula.

Then, when Alya ad-Daula went to Hamadan and was accompanied by the Teacher, the illness resumed on the way and did not let him go until Hamadan itself. He knew that his strength had fallen into decline and was no longer enough to drive away the disease, and therefore he neglected his progress and said: “The manager who was in charge of my body is no longer able to manage it; there is no use in healing now.”

Abu Ali died when he was 56 years and 10 months old. From the time his wanderings began, ash-Sheikh ar-Rais never knew the joys of family life. His loneliness was to some extent brightened up by communication with his beloved students, among whom, of course, al-Druzjani, who accompanied him for the last twenty-five years of his life, stands out.

Ibn Sina was a scientist obsessed with the spirit of research and the desire for an encyclopedic coverage of all branches of knowledge contemporary to him. When a certain linguist, recognizing the merits of Abu Ali as a philosopher and physician, expressed doubts about his competence in philology, Ibn Sina quickly mastered the intricacies of this science so much that he was able to play the professional linguist with three treatises written by him in the style of three famous philologists, and then create a fundamental work on the Arabic language.

The philosopher was distinguished by his phenomenal memory and sharpness of thought. He did not read the books, but leafed through them, focusing only on those pages where the most difficult issues were dealt with. At the same time, he was a man of mood, an emotional and, one might even say, impulsive nature. His independence of judgment in science was in complete harmony with his indifference to the impression that his penchant for sensual pleasures could make on the faithful, which did not always fit with stereotypical ideas about the sage, sheikh-mentor, vizier and adviser to the emir.

Sometimes Ibn Sina is presented almost as an unbridled hawkmoth, the reason for which is his mention of feasts with or without students, although Ibn Sina assessed the positive effect of wine primarily as a physician.

But most importantly, this idea cannot be reconciled with either the content or the volume of the works he created. The philosopher was distinguished by his inexhaustible capacity for work, he wrote day and night, in any situation - at home, in a temporary shelter, hiding from enemies and spies, in captivity, on the road and even on military campaigns, literally without leaving the saddle. So, if the bibliography of his works compiled by Alavati contains 276 titles, this number is perceived as quite real and plausible.

However, many of the philosopher’s works have been irretrievably lost, and attempts to compile a list of his works using just their titles face great difficulties; the same works often appear under different names, or, on the contrary, different works are hidden under the same name. Therefore, bibliographers who are cautious in their conclusions tend to significantly reduce the list of the thinker’s works.

Ibn Sina is the author of works that are diverse in both form and content. In his creative legacy we find not only natural science and philosophical treatises, but also poems, some of the latter gravitating towards the popular science genre - such as poems about logic, medicine and the soul. Of the thinker’s non-philosophical scientific works, the central place is, of course, occupied by the “Canon of Medical Science.” This fundamental work, in five books of which Ibn Sina summarized and systematized both the medical knowledge accumulated by his time and his own experience as a practicing physician, was one of the main guides on medicine for Europe for a number of centuries.

In a number of cases, the author of the "Canon" anticipates discoveries made in medicine of much later eras. Because of the allegorical nature of their form, the Treatise on Chaya, the son of Yakzan, the Treatise on Birds and the Treatise on Salaman and Absal stand apart. Starting from their first printed edition, these works are mentioned with the indispensable addition of the epithet “mystical”. Meanwhile, it is in them, using allegories, that Abu Ali expresses in the most daring and at the same time metaphorical form his pantheistic views, which are far from any mysticism. This fact escaped the attention of the authors of two extensive commentaries on the most interesting in this regard, the Treatise on Haya, the son of Yakzan.

Of considerable importance for understanding the views of Ibn Sina is the “Treatise on Love”, which from the same time and just as wrongfully has been classified as a mystical work. In the philosophical heritage of the scientist, a similar place belongs to the “Book of Healing” (“Kitab ash-shifa”), a multi-volume work covering all branches of philosophical science: logic, mathematics, physics and metaphysics. Ibn Sina also created abbreviated versions of this encyclopedia - “The Book of Salvation” and “The Book of Knowledge”, the latter of which Abu Ali wrote in his native language Farsi (Dari) and thereby acted as the founder of Iranian-language philosophical literature.

Adjacent to the mentioned works is the treatise “Indications and Notes”, which is close to them in terms of issues. This work was written by Ibn Sina at the end of his life; it is distinguished by its clarity and systematicity. According to Ibn Abi-Usaybia, the author treasured and was proud of him. Ibn Sina tried to combine the philosophy of Aristotle with Neoplatonism. The Eastern philosopher divides knowledge into theoretical and practical, which are so called because their subject is determined exclusively by human actions. Practical sciences include ethics, economics, and politics.

Ibn Sina did not doubt the possibility of understanding the world, attaching great importance to logic and considering it as an introduction to any science. According to the laws of logic, divine activity is also carried out, thereby having an intellectual character. However, God is not guided by any goal, and this means that the development of the world is not fatal.

In matters of psychology, Ibn Sina also follows Aristotle and distinguishes between plant, animal and rational souls. He especially considers the human soul and does not deny its immortality. However, he accepts immortality not in the literal sense, but in the philosophical sense, denying the possibility of transmigration of souls.

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After the collapse of the Roman Empire under the onslaught of barbarian tribes, European medicine, like other achievements of Roman civilization, fell into decay. The oblivion of the heritage of the past in Europe was largely facilitated by the Christian Church, which saw in ancient sciences only a sinful pagan past. The Arabs took advantage of the ancient heritage, unnecessary in Europe. Their libraries contained the works of great scientists of antiquity, and many of them survived only thanks to Arab scribes.

The Arabs continued the path of ancient medicine, trying to find natural explanations for the occurrence of diseases. The best doctors of the Islamic East studied diseases, observing the development of the disease, and generalizing conclusions. Arab doctors had the most advanced surgical instruments and were able to perform many operations. Large cities had well-equipped hospitals.

All the achievements of that time were brought together in his brilliant work by the outstanding physician Abu Ali al-Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (980-1037), or Avicenna, as he was called in Europe.

Born in 980 in the village of Afshan near Bukhara, in present-day Tajikistan. Ibn Sina's father, Abdallah, was from Balkh, an ancient city in Northern Afghanistan, and was involved in financial affairs in one of the large Bukhara settlements, Harmaisan. From an early age, al-Hussein showed exceptional abilities and talent. By the age of ten, he knew almost the entire Koran by heart. He was then sent to study Muslim jurisprudence at school, where he was the youngest. But soon even the oldest of the school’s students appreciated the boy’s intelligence and knowledge and came to him for advice, although al-Hussein had just turned 12 years old. Later, he studied logic and philosophy, geometry and astronomy under the guidance of the scientist Abu Abdallah Natili, who came to Bukhara. At the age of 14, the young man began to study independently. Geometry, astronomy, and music were easy for him until he became acquainted with Aristotle's Metaphysics. In his autobiography, he mentioned that he read this work several times, but could not understand it. Al-Farabi's book with comments on Metaphysics helped in this. In his autobiography, Avicenna wrote: “I began studying medicine, supplementing my reading with observations of patients, which taught me many treatment techniques that cannot be found in books.” When Avicenna was no more than 18 years old, his fame as a doctor was so great that he was called upon to treat the Samanid ruler Nuh ibn Mansur, who, in gratitude for his services, allowed Avicenna to use the royal library free of charge, which contained many rare and even unique books. This library was subsequently destroyed by fire and slanderers without a twinge of conscience claimed that it was Avicenna who deliberately set it on fire so that he could alone possess the learning gained from these rare books. At the age of 21, Avicenna lost his father and wrote his first book around the same time. For some time he entered the service of Ali ibn Magmun - the rulers of Khorezm or Khiva, but eventually escaped from there to prevent an attempt by Mahmud of Ghazna to kidnap him. During his wanderings, he wrote many of his works while sitting in the saddle. He arrived in Jurjan, attracted by the glory of its ruler Qabus as a patron, but his arrival coincided with the deposition and death of this prince, and Avicenna wrote about this in his verse: “When I became great, there was no place for me in any country: When But my price increased, I didn’t get a buyer.”

Soon, however, Avicenna found a “buyer” in the form of Amir Shams ad-Daula from Hamadan, whom he healed of colic and who appointed him as his first minister. Avicenna was eventually removed from office and imprisoned as a result of the uprising military against him, but Amir, again suffering from an attack of colic, returned him, apologized and returned him to his post. Avicenna's life at that time was very stressful; he spent the whole day in the service of the Amir, while most of the night was spent giving lectures and dictating notes for his books, in between practical lessons. Exhausted by hard work and a difficult life, Avicenna died at the age of 58, after many vicissitudes which are described by his faithful friend and student Abu Ubaydah of Juzjan.

As a true scientist and encyclopedist, Ibn Sina worked with great success in almost all areas of knowledge. The sources mention over 450 titles of his works, and the number of works that have reached us is about 240. They cover such fields of science as philosophy, medicine, logic, psychology, “physics” (i.e. natural science), astronomy, mathematics, music, chemistry, ethics, literature, linguistics, etc.

However, Ibn Sina became famous mainly thanks to his works on philosophy and medicine. Among the philosophical works of the scientist that have come down to us, we mention the “Book of Healing” (“Kitab ash-shifa”), “Book of Salvation” (“Kitab an-najat”), “ Directions and Instructions" ("Al-isharat wa-t-tanbihat") and "The Book of Knowledge" ("Da-nish-name").

Ibn Sina used everything valuable that was developed by his predecessors in the field of natural science and philosophy and created a philosophy that became the pinnacle of the development of theoretical thought in the countries of the Near and Middle East in the early Middle Ages. Despite the contradictory nature of certain provisions, the philosophical teachings of Ibn Sina played a progressive role under feudalism. It clearly exhibits a materialistic tendency, the desire to oppose religion to scientific knowledge based on experience and logical evidence.

Ibn Sina's works on psychology are of particular interest. In this matter, he took a big step towards materialism, because for the first time he tried to link certain types of human mental activity with certain parts of the brain.

The socio-political views of the great philosopher indicate that in this area he adhered to progressive ideals. Ibn Sina advocated an ideal state, the population of which should consist of rulers, producers and troops, and everyone should be engaged in useful work.

Ibn Sina successfully studied other sciences. He had a wide knowledge of chemistry for his time, and several chemical works are attributed to him. Ibn Sina contributed greatly to the subsequent development of chemistry, mainly through his criticism of the basic principle of alchemy, namely, the possibility of transforming base metals into noble ones.

In the field of geology, he expressed an original point of view on mountain formation, close to modern scientific theory. In his opinion, the mountains were formed as a result of 2 factors: 1 - the rise of the earth's crust during strong earthquakes, 2 - the action of the flow of water, which, in search of a path, makes large depressions in the valleys and thereby determines the formation of large hills.

Ibn Sina also dealt a lot with issues of botany, because as a doctor, he could not help but pay due attention to the study of plants that have healing properties. Carl Linnaeus (1707-17078), taking into account the merits of Ibn Sina in the field of this science, named the evergreen tropical plant after him - Avicennia.

Ibn Sina also left a significant mark in the field of poetry. He wrote many of his scientific treatises in rajaz meter. In addition, he wrote several works that had a significant influence on subsequent Persian-language literature.

Ibn Sina's merits were especially great in the field of medicine. He is rightly considered one of the greatest medical scientists in the history of mankind. According to various sources, the total number of medical works of Ibn Sina reaches 50, but about 30 of them have survived to the power of 8. According to their content, they can be divided (with the exception of the “Canon”) conditionally into three groups: 1) works of a general nature, in which certain branches of medicine and some of its theoretical issues are covered; 2) works on diseases of any one organ or one specific disease, for example, on heart disease and means of its treatment, on disease of the colon (kulanj), on disorders of the genital organs; 3) works on medicinal science.

His works on medicine:

• · “The Canon of Medical Science” (“Kitab al-Qanun fi-t-tibb”) is an encyclopedic work in which the prescriptions of ancient physicians are interpreted and revised in accordance with the achievements of Arab medicine. In the Canon, Ibn Sina suggested that diseases could be caused by some tiny creatures. He was the first to draw attention to the contagiousness of smallpox, determined the difference between cholera and plague, described leprosy, separating it from other diseases, and studied a number of other diseases. There are many translations of the Canon of Medicine into Latin.
• · "Medicines" ("Al-Adwiyat al Kalbiya") - written during the first visit to Hamadan. The work details the role of the heart in the occurrence and manifestation of pneuma, features of the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.
• · “Removing harm from various manipulations through corrections and error preventions” (“Daf al-mazorr al kulliya an al-abdon al insonia bi-tadorik anvo hato an-tadbir”).
• · “On the benefits and harms of wine” (“Siyosat al-badan wa fazoil ash-sharob wa manofi’ih wa mazorich”) is the shortest treatise by Ibn Sina.
• · "Poem about Medicine" ("Urjusa fit-tib").
• · "Treatise on the Pulse" ("Risolai Nabziya").
• · “Events for travelers” (“Fi tadbir al-musofirin”).
• · "Treatise on Sexual Power" ("Risola fil-l-boh") - describes the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of sexual disorders.
• · "Treatise on Vinegar Honey" ("Risola fi-s-sikanjubin") - describes the preparation and medicinal use of mixtures of vinegar and honey of various compositions.
• · "Treatise on Chicory" ("Risola fil-hindabo").
• · “Blood vessels for bloodletting” (“Risola fil-uruk al-mafsuda”).
• · "Risola-yi Judiya" - describes the treatment of diseases of the ear, stomach, and teeth. In addition, it describes hygiene problems. Some researchers dispute Avicenna's authorship.

Human anatomy - image from the works of Ibn Sina

What made Avicenna famous in history:

His name is Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (980–1037), but in Europe they call him Avicenna.

Avicenna is one of the people who left a bright mark on the history of mankind. He is known as a doctor, philosopher, mathematician, musician, poet, great scientist, whose works are left in 29 areas of science.

It is difficult to list all his talents. Sometimes nature reveals its miracles so that people do not forget about its power, and then such geniuses as Avicenna are born.

He is a Great Physician, who can be compared with Galen and Hippocrates, an outstanding naturalist on the level of Galileo, a mathematician, a physicist, a chemist, and a specialist in animal physiology. He also studied music theory, and his knowledge of this was useful during the Renaissance.

The most brilliant of his books is “The Canon of Medical Science.” But other works also went down in history and became classics - “The Book of Salvation”, “The Book of Knowledge”, “The Book of Instructions and Notes”, “The Book of Fair Trials”...

He was a harbinger of humanism, for his teaching about man is the teaching about the unity of body and soul. And when - in the 11th century. Avicenna wrote, as a rule, in Arabic. But this does not mean at all that he is part of Arab culture. Probably from his very birth he belonged to the whole world, his works became the property of all civilizations.

And yet, to this day they argue whose it is. Turkestan, on the territory of which he was born, Uzbekistan, Turkey - all these countries consider Avicenna their heritage. The monograph “Ibn Sina - the Great Turkish Scientist” was published relatively recently in Turkey. The Persians respond by saying: “He is ours. He is buried with us. He was at the courts of the emirs." His presence is also felt in European culture - there have been rumors about him since the 12th century. This was a man of worldwide fame. And that's how it remains today. When the millennium since his birth was celebrated in the 50s of the 20th century, the whole world took part in the celebration. Huge volumes have been written about him, scientists still use his thoughts, and ordinary people learn wisdom from him.

Ibn Sina had a huge influence on classical Iranian, Uzbek, Arabic and Jewish medieval literature. His most famous story was the story “Alive, Son of the Awakening One.” Some researchers claim that she influenced the creation of Dante's Divine Comedy.

How do we know about a person who lived more than 1000 years ago? From himself and his beloved student. And this, it seems to skeptics, gives rise to doubts about his genius. Completely groundless skepticism! Because rumor, starting from the 11th century, carefully preserved the memory of his talents, which gave reason to call him a brilliant scientist. Avicenna’s own story about himself and his childhood has survived to this day. The rest was completed by Ubayd al-Jurjani, his favorite student, who spent more than 20 years of his life with him.

From the biography of Avicenna:

Ibn Sina was born in 980 in the small village of Afshana (Central Asia) near Bukhara, the capital of the Samanid state. It is known that the great Alexander the Great passed through these places, a little to the north.

Avicenna was born into a wealthy family. Father, Adallah ibn Hassan, was a tax collector. Not the most respected profession, so to speak, a publican. But at the same time he is rich, educated, and apparently not stupid. It is known that Avicenna’s father died a natural death; no one killed him or stabbed him to death for his crimes. Mother Sitara (which means “star”) comes from a small village near Bukhara, Afshana. Avicenna was born in this village. So a star gave birth to a star.

When the family moved to the capital, the gifted boy gained access to broad knowledge, because at that time Bukhara was an educational center where various philosophers, doctors, and poets actively gathered to visit the palace library.

Even in early childhood, Avicenna was distinguished by his incredible curiosity, surprising adults with constant questions. The little know-it-all was initially sent to study at a regular Muslim school, which he attended for 10 years.

In parallel with the school curriculum, Avicena additionally studied grammar, Arabic, and stylistics. When the boy was 10 years old, he already knew the entire Koran by heart, which, according to Muslim beliefs, was considered the most honorable sign.

He received his first education by studying theology. Later, the future scientist became interested in secular sciences - mathematics, medicine and philosophy. Already at the age of 20, Avicenna was known as a famous scientist.

After the Sasnids fell in his native country, Ibn Sina traveled through the courts of the Persian princes, serving as a court physician. He enjoyed authority among his European fellow doctors. The result of his medical activity was a fundamental work, an encyclopedia on medicine in 5 volumes - “The Canon of Medicine”. It instantly became popular and was translated into foreign languages; it was reprinted in Latin as many as 30 times.

Fearing Avicenna's rapidly developing popularity, Muslim theologians constantly tried to convict him of atheism and heresy. In addition to medical work, he wrote natural science and philosophical treatises, poetry in Farsi and Arabic. The main theme of his work was a hymn to enlightenment, the eternity of matter, and a hymn to science.

From the age of 18, Avicenna absolutely consciously devoted his life to science. He wrote a lot, and his fame grew stronger. At the age of 20, he was invited to permanent service with the Khorezm Shah Mamun II in Khorezm. Mamun II was one of the best representatives of the powers that be and, of course, the best of those whom Avicenna met on his way. This ruler can be compared, perhaps, with Lorenzo the Magnificent. He also gathered prominent people at court, invited them from everywhere and did not skimp on money, considering the development of culture and science to be of paramount importance.

He, like Lorenzo, created a circle called the Mamun Academy. There were constant debates in which many took part, including Biruni, but Avicenna usually won. His fame grew, he worked hard, he was revered, recognizing his authority in everything. He was happy.

And here a fatal figure appeared on his life horizon - Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, the creator of the Ghazni Sultanate. By origin, he was from among the ghulams, the name given to slave-warriors of Turkic origin. This is truly from slave filth to great riches! Such people are distinguished by special arrogance, heightened ambition, self-will, and promiscuity. Having learned that the flower of culture was gathered in Bukhara, Mahmud wished that this entire scientific circle would be given to him. The ruler of Khorezm received an order: “Immediately send all scientists to me” - there, to Persia, to present-day Iran - it was impossible to disobey.

And then the ruler of Khorezm said to the poets and scientists: “Leave, run with the caravan, I can’t help you with anything else...” Avicenna and his friend secretly fled from Khorezm at night, deciding to cross the Karakum desert. What courage, what despair! For what? So as not to serve Mahmud, so as not to humiliate himself and show: scientists do not jump on command like trained monkeys.

In the desert, his friend dies of thirst - unable to survive the transition. Avicenna was able to survive. Now he is back in Western Iran. A certain Emir Qabus, himself a brilliant poet who had gathered around himself a remarkable literary constellation, joyfully received Avicenna. How similar are the figures of the Renaissance to each other, whether in Italy or in the East! For them, the main thing is the life of the spirit, creativity, and the search for truth. In a new place, Avicenna began to write his greatest work, “The Canon of Medical Science.” He lived in a house bought for him - it would seem that this is happiness!

However, the thirst for a change of place, the passion for travel, for novelty drove him all his life from places familiar and calm. Eternal wanderer! He left again, again began to wander through the lands of what is now Central Iran. Why didn't you stay with Qaboos? Among your own circle of people, in your own home, without knowing need and persecution?

Around 1023 he stops in Hamadan (Central Iran). Having cured another emir of a stomach disease, he received a good “fee” - he was appointed vizier, minister-adviser. It seems like what else can you dream of! But nothing good came of it. The fact is that he treated his service honestly, carefully delved into details and, as an extremely smart and educated person, began to make real proposals for transforming the system of government and even the army - that’s what’s amazing! But Avicenna’s proposals turned out to be absolutely unnecessary for the emir’s entourage. They had their own defense ministers! Intrigues began to weave among the courtiers. Envy and anger appeared - after all, the doctor is always so close to the ruler! Things began to take a bad turn, and it became clear that he was in danger. For some time he hid with friends, but he could not avoid arrest. And then the ruler changed, and the son of the new ruler wanted to have Avicenna around him - his fame was very great, and his practical medical skills were well known. He spent four months in prison. His imprisonment was not hopelessly difficult; he was allowed to write. Having been released, he, together with his brother and his devoted student, again set out on the road. And he ended up in the depths of Persia, Isfahan.

Isfahan is the largest city of that time with a population of about 100,000 people, noisy, beautiful and vibrant. Avicenna spent many years there, becoming a close associate of Emir Alla Addaul. Again he is surrounded by a cultural environment, debates are held again, and a relatively calm life flows again. Here he works a lot, writes a lot; in terms of volume, most of his work was written in Isfahan. Students say that he could work all night long, occasionally refreshing himself with a glass of wine. A Muslim who invigorates his brain with a glass of wine...

Avicenna was in a hurry. As a doctor and a sage, he knew that he had little time left to live, and therefore he was in a hurry. What he comprehended then, in those ancient times, seems incredible. For example, he wrote about the role of the retina in the visual process, about the functions of the brain as a center where nerve threads converge, about the influence of geographical and meteorological conditions on human health. Avicenna was convinced that there were invisible carriers of diseases. But with what vision could he see them? Which one? He spoke about the possibility of the spread of infectious diseases through the air, described diabetes, and for the first time distinguished smallpox from measles. Even just listing what he did is amazing. At the same time, Avicenna composed poetry and wrote several philosophical works, where he posed the problem of the relationship between the material and the corporeal. Avicenna's poetry very succinctly expresses his desire to see the world as one, holistic. Here is his quatrain translated from Farsi: “The earth is the body of the universe, the soul of which is the Lord. And people and angels together give sensual flesh. Particles match the bricks, the world is made entirely of them. Unity, that is perfection. Everything else in the world is a lie.” What amazing, deep and serious thoughts!

After Avicenna managed to escape through the desert, he hid from Sultan Mahmud for a long time. The ruler persistently searched for the fugitive and even sent out 40 copies of something like a leaflet or an order with a drawing depicting Avicenna. And judging by what was able to be reconstructed from his skull, he was handsome, without any particularly pronounced oriental, Asian or European features. Mahmud was never able to bring back Avicenna (Ibn Sina). + Sultan Mahmud's successor Masud Ghaznevi in ​​1030 sent his army to Isfahan, where Avicenna was, and carried out a complete pogrom there. Avicenna experienced a real tragedy: his house was destroyed, many of his works were lost. In particular, the work in 20 parts “The Book of Justice” disappeared forever. This was one of his last books. Perhaps it contained his final, deepest thoughts. But we, apparently, will never know about them.

The circumstances of his personal life are also unknown - there is no mention of this in the memoirs of students or simply contemporaries. He wrote poems about women, praising beauty, harmony and perfection. And it's all.

The number of all the philosopher’s works varies in different sources. Some historians claim that he created about 453 books of various scientific fields. In Arabic literature there are about ten works of the philosopher (astronomy, chemistry, alchemy, etc.) in preserved incomplete handwritten form. Now they are in libraries around the world.

Avicenna lived an interesting life, full of ups and downs. The Muslim scientist was never able to return to his homeland after long wanderings; he died in a foreign land in 1037.

Avicenna (Ibn Sina) died on a military campaign, accompanying the emir and benefactor of his Alla Addaul. As a doctor, he knew that his body had exhausted itself, although he was only 57 years old. Previously, he had treated himself and healed himself many times. This time Avicenna knew that he was dying, and therefore told his students: “Treatment is useless.” He was buried in Hamadan, where his tomb is preserved. In the 50s of the 20th century it was rebuilt. Here are the words of Avicenna before his death, passed on to us, our descendants, by his disciples: “We die in full consciousness and take with us only one thing: the consciousness that we have learned nothing.” And this was said by a man who enthusiastically devoted his entire life, energy, youth and health to knowledge.

Interesting facts from the life of Avicenna:

1. Ibn Sina’s native language is Farsi-Dari. This is the language of the local residents of Central Asia. On it, the philosopher and scientist wrote ghazals - oriental quatrains. He said that he wrote them for himself, for the soul.

2. At the age of 10, the boy knew the holy book Koran by heart.

3. People around Avicenna were amazed at the success of the talented teenager. A teacher (a visiting elder) came to his house, teaching physics, astronomy, philosophy, geography and other subjects. Soon, the incredibly smart student reached the same level of knowledge as his home teacher, which became the reason for his independent knowledge of various sciences.

4. Avicenna himself said very accurately about his years of study: “I was the best of those asking questions.”

5. At the age of fourteen, the precocious young man became interested in medicine, studied all the treatises available in the city, and even began visiting the most difficult patients in order to better understand the truths of science.

6. Ibn Sina was attracted to the practice of medicine by the famous doctor and author of the main medical textbook of that time, Abu Sahl Masihi.

7. After Avicenna cured the emir, the seventeen-year-old boy was appointed the ruler’s personal physician.

8. Gaining deep knowledge from new books in the palace library, Avicenna began to have his own students.

9. Before Avicenna explained in detail the structure of the human eye, it was believed that the eye was like a flashlight with rays of a special origin. In a short period of time, the “Canon of Medical Science” has turned into an encyclopedia of world significance, used in various countries, including the territories of Ancient Rus'.

10. Avicenna preferred to discuss serious topics in poetry. In this form he wrote such works as “Treatise on Love”, “Hay ibn Yaqzan”, “Bird”, etc.

11. Avicenna became the first doctor to define such complex diseases as plague, jaundice, cholera, etc.

12.When Ibn Sina was 20 years old, he was already the author of several books: An extensive encyclopedia. Ethics publications. Medical dictionary.

13. At the age of 18, a literate young man allowed himself to discuss with outstanding scientists of the East and Central Asia by correspondence.

14. Already at the age of 10, Avicenna realized that he had nothing left to do at school. Avicenna completely mastered the Arabic and Farsi languages, grammar, stylistics, and poetics.

15. And when he started studying mathematics and medicine, he realized that medicine is an easy science and that by the age of 16 he would master it completely.

16. Ibn Sina discovered that viruses are invisible causative agents of infectious diseases, but this hypothesis was confirmed only 800 years later by Pasteur (French scientist).

17.According to Avicenna’s beliefs, science is divided into three categories: Higher. Average. Lowest.

18. Ibn Sina is the creator of the circle, which he called the Mamun Academy.

19. Avicenna discovered the process of distillation of essential oils.

20. Avicenna was the court physician of the Samanid emirs and Daylemite sultans, and for some time he was the vizier in Hamadan.

21. During his life he wrote more than 450 books. Of these, 29 are about science, but the rest are about philosophy and medicine. But only 274 of his works have survived to this day.

22. The scientist made a significant contribution to psychology, developing his own doctrine in matters of human temperament (division into hot, cold, wet and dry characters).

23.The philosopher’s knowledge of the pulse is impressive. He described in the book all its possible types and conditions.

24. His works in mechanics (the theory of invested force) and in music (works on the theory of vocal art) are noted.

25. Years of living in Hamadan allowed the scientist to finish the first volume of his main work - the book “The Canon of Medical Science”. This work consists of only five volumes of the following content: Volume 1: medical science - description of acute chronic diseases, their diagnosis, treatment, surgery. Volume 2: stories about simple medicines of natural origin. Volumes 3 and 4: recommendations for the treatment of diseases of human organs, body fractures. Volume 5: description of the properties of complex medicines prepared independently by Avicenna, as well as with references to ancient doctors of Europe and Asia.

Wise sayings and quotes from Avicenna:

*The doctor has three weapons: a word, a plant, a knife.

*The soul of the Universe is truth.

*I avoided treachery, unraveled all the knots, Only the knot of death I could not unravel.

*Whoever does not value happiness is approaching unhappiness.

*Idleness and idleness not only give rise to ignorance, they are at the same time the cause of illness.

*I unraveled the secrets of the wisest words and deeds. From black dust to celestial bodies.

*Be moderate in food - that’s the first commandment. The second commandment is to drink less wine.

*There are no hopeless patients. There are only hopeless doctors.

*He who is old cannot burn with a young fire.

*Wisdom is what prepares us for the greatest happiness in life above.

*The soul is like a glass lamp, knowledge is the light that gives fire, and the wisdom of God is oil. If the lamp is on, you are alive, if it goes out, you are dead.

* A fool and a braggart cannot keep secrets, Caution is truly beyond praise, A secret is a prisoner if you protect it, You are a prisoner of a secret, you just blabbed it.

*A doctor must have the gaze of a falcon, the hands of a girl, the wisdom of a snake and the heart of a lion.

*Tell a sick person that you have a stomach ache - a healthy person will not understand.

* Constant drunkenness is harmful, it spoils the nature of the liver and brain, weakens the nerves, causes nerve disease, and sudden death.

*If you engage in physical exercise, there is no need to take medications taken for various diseases, if at the same time you follow all other prescriptions.

*If I do not make a path to the hearts of people, they will not communicate with me, although they will be neither for nor against me.

*A person who exercises moderately and in a timely manner does not need any treatment, he is healthy.

*One who gives up physical exercise often wastes away, because the strength of his organs weakens due to refusal to move.

*A person would not survive alone. Everything he needs, he receives only thanks to society.

Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Sina (Europeans call him Avicenna) was born on August 16, 980 in the 10th century in the village. Afshana not far from Bukhara (the territory belonged to the Arab Caliphate). Now in the village of Afshana there is a museum of Ibn Sina.

Researchers have calculated that Avicenna excelled in 29 branches of knowledge. He successfully studied medicine and poetry, philosophy and astronomy, logic and mathematics.

But most people rightly consider him the greatest doctor in history. According to one version, the term “medicine” comes from the Latinized “madad Sina” (translated as healing from Sina) or from the abbreviated “Sina method”.

Avicenna's main work, The Canon of Medicine, the most widely circulated publication after the Bible, was the main medical manual in both the East and the West until the 17th century.

When Avicenna turned 17, his fame as a doctor was already so great that the young man was invited to treat the sick Emir of Bukhara. The emir recovered and promised any reward for his services. The young man replied that he did not need anything other than permission to use the emir’s unique library. A few years later the library burned down. A young doctor was accused of setting the library on fire - they said that Avicenna wanted to prevent anyone from reading the ancient books and becoming as wise.

The founder of pulse diagnostics. One of the legends tells about the miraculous healing of the daughter of a Bukhara merchant. The girl was melting before our eyes from some strange illness. All doctors were powerless. Then the merchant invited Avicenna, who took the girl by the wrist and began to list the streets of Bukhara. Then he asked to bring a list of the names of those who lived on a certain street. At the mention of one of them, the girl's face turned pink. So, from the pulse, the scientist learned the name of her lover, whom she was afraid to tell her father about, since he would never agree to their marriage. It was these experiences that brought her to the brink of death.

Avicenna was the first to draw attention to the contagiousness of smallpox, defined the difference between cholera and plague, introduced the term epilepsy, described leprosy and jaundice, analyzed the causes, symptoms and methods of treating meningitis, stomach ulcers and others, argued the hypothesis that many diseases arise under the influence of negative emotions. Avicenna could diagnose and cure 2,000 different ailments.

He paid attention to the psychological factor in the treatment of diseases. He said to his patient: “There are three of us: me, you and your illness. Whose side you take will win.”

Whoever has the will and a strong spirit will overcome any illness.
The disease will recede before the proud, before the fearless, the rebellious...

During his lifetime, Ibn Sina was awarded such high titles as Leader among the Sages (Al-Sheikh Al-Rais), Pride of the Country (Sharaf-ul-Mulk), Great Healer (Khakami Buzurg).

Avicenna died in Hamadan (Iran) on June 18, 1037. Before his death, the scientist left a will in which he ordered to distribute all his property to the poor and set his servants free.

Everything in the world will be covered with the dust of oblivion!
Only two know neither death nor decay:
Only the work of a hero and the speech of a sage
Centuries will pass without knowing the end.
Both the sun and the storms - everything will bravely withstand
A high word and a good deed...

Avicenna's burial site became a place of pilgrimage. People believe that even one touch of a tombstone can cure any disease.

People were so confident in Avicenna's omnipotence that they believed he had discovered the secret of immortality. Before his death, he prepared 40 potions and dictated the rules for their use to his most faithful student. After the death of Ibn Sina, the student began to revive, noticing with excitement how the weak body of the old man gradually turned into the blooming body of a young man, breathing appeared, and his cheeks turned pink. There was one last medicine that needed to be poured into the mouth and it would consolidate the life restored by previous drugs. The student was so amazed by the changes that had occurred that he dropped the last vessel. The saving mixture went deep into the earth and a few minutes later the decrepit body of the teacher lay in front of the student.

The painting “Homo sapiens” by artist Javon Umarbekov was painted for the anniversary of the great scientist. The artist thought for a long time about how to depict this outstanding personality, until he came up with the idea of ​​depicting famous scientists with whom Ibn Sina could be compared. After all, Ibn Sina traveled all his life, wanting to find people who shared his beliefs. In the picture next to the scientist are Aristotle, Navoi, Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Al-Beruni, Einstein, Omar Khayyam, Tsiolkovsky, Mendeleev. In the center of the picture is the image of Venus from Botticelli’s work “The Birth of Venus” as a symbol of the truth that Avicenna strived for all his life. In the picture, the eminent doctor holds a human skull in his left hand and seems to be asking himself, who are we? Where did you come from? Where are we going? An image symbolizing a lie whispers doubts into his ear, it is written in dark colors.

Avicenna is named after a minor planet and a mountain peak (formerly called Lenin Peak), the mineral aviacennite and a plant of the Acanthus family - avicennia. His face adorns the monetary unit of Tajikistan - the somoni.

SARATOV STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION, PUBLIC

HEALTH AND MEDICAL LAW

MEDICINE HISTORY COURSE

on the topic: Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and his works in the field of healing

SARATOV - 2007

1. Introduction

2. Autobiography of Abu Ali Ibn Sina

3. “Canon of medical science”

4. Conclusion

5. Bibliography

Introduction

The scientific and practical activities of Ibn Sina played a huge role in the development of medicine. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) is one of the greatest scientists of Central Asia, who enriched world science with achievements of paramount importance. The works of Ibn Sina and his great contemporary Abu Rayhan Beruni marked the highest stage of development of science in the medieval East.

Ibn Sina's works on psychology are of particular interest. In this matter, he took a big step towards materialism, because for the first time he tried to link certain types of human mental activity with certain parts of the brain.

The socio-political views of the great philosopher indicate that in this area he adhered to progressive ideals. Ibn Sina advocated an ideal state, the population of which should consist of rulers, producers and troops, and everyone should be engaged in useful work.

Ibn Sina’s merits were especially great in the field of medicine. He is rightly considered one of the greatest medical scientists in the history of mankind.

Ibn Sina’s main medical work, which brought him centuries-long fame throughout the cultural world, is the “Canon of Medical Science.” This is a truly medical encyclopedia, in which everything related to the prevention and treatment of diseases is presented with logical order. In the “Canon of Medical Science”, as well as in a number of special works on medicinal science (“Book on Medicines for Heart Diseases”, “On the Properties of Chicory”, “On the Properties of Vinegar - Lida”, etc.). Ibn Sina not only united the disparate experience of the past and supplemented it with the results of his own observations, but also formed a number of fundamental provisions of a rational formation.

1. Autobiography of Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

A thousand years ago in Bukhara there lived a brilliant man named Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdallah ibn Ali ibn Sina. Ibn Sina was an encyclopedist. His scientific heritage is very extensive and covers all branches of knowledge of that time: philosophy, logic, music, poetics, linguistics, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, geology, and others.

A hundred years after his death, on the orders of religious fanatics in Baghdad, the philosophical books of Ibn Sina will be burned in the main square, and a few hundred years later in Europe, after the invention of the printing press, immediately after the Bible, huge five volumes of the “Canon of Medicine” will be printed. Avicenna medical science

Abu Ali al Hussein ibn Abdullah ibn Sina was born in September 960 in the small village of Afshana near Bukhara. In his biography, Ibn Sina wrote: “My father was from Balkh and came from there to Bukhara during the reign of the Samanid Nuh ibn Mansur and took up work there in the divan - office. He was given control of Harmaysan, the center of one of the buliks (districts) in the vicinity of Bukhara "From Afshana, one of the nearest villages, he took my mother, named Sitara - the star, as his wife. First I and then my brother were born there."

Little Hussein was a very curious boy. The word "Why?" he repeated many times a day, surprising both children and adults with his curiosity. When Hussein was five years old, the family moved to Bukhara. The boy was placed in a Muslim primary school - maktab, where he studied until he was 10 years old. Hussein was the smallest of the fifteen students of Khatib Ubaid. Chapters from the Koran - suras - were read to school students in Arabic. Many boys did not know Arabic well. Hussein immediately approached the teacher with questions, but he said: “Study the Koran. There are answers to everything." At the same time, Hussein went to another teacher who taught him grammar, stylistics and Arabic.

One day Hussein said: “I have memorized the entire Koran. Can I ask my questions now?” The teacher was offended: “The Koran has been taught for many years and the rare Muslims who know it by heart are given the honorary title of hafiz.”

“So I am a hafiz!” - said the boy. During the exam, Hussein recited all the suras without missing a single word. Even Khatib Ubaid himself did not know the Koran. Since then, Hussein has not gone to the maktab. By the age of ten, the future great scientist completes the first cycle of his education. He amazes everyone with his memory, quoting the text of the entire Koran by heart, and delights with his knowledge of Arabic literature. From this time on, Ibn Sina became a sheikh.

The boy's outstanding abilities were noticed early. After ten years, his father took him out of school, and the teenager received further education by studying with teachers who came to his home. He intensively studied mathematics, physics, logic, law, astronomy, philosophy, geography and much more. The family environment contributed to the spiritual development of the young man.

The teaching went so successfully that soon the student not only caught up with the teacher, but also repeatedly baffled him.

Ibn Sina became interested in medicine very early. Not yet 12 years old, Ibn Sina, according to tradition, began studying it on the advice of the famous physician and philosopher Abu Salah al-Masihi.

He studied the medicine of Ibn Sina under the guidance of Abu-l-Mansur Kamari, a famous Bukhara physician, author of a number of scientific works. Kamari's training did not last long. Abu Ali ibn Sina quickly begins to engage in independent practice and soon becomes such a famous doctor that he is invited to the palace to treat the seriously ill Emir of Bukhara Nukh ibn Mansur. It is not known exactly what the Emir of Bukhara was ill with and how Ibn Sina treated him. It is only known that the treatment helped, and Nuh ibn Mansur safely ruled Bukhara for another year. It is also known that in gratitude for the cure, Ibn Sina received access to the famous Samanid book depository (Bukhara Library). The Bukhara library is one of the largest collections of books of that time. Ibn Sina himself considered work in the Bukhara library the most important stage in his life. Here his education was completed and independent creativity began.

Ibn Sina used the Samanid library for several years. Perhaps it was while working in the Bukhara library that he had the idea to create a general work on medicine, where one could find the name of the disease with all its symptoms, as well as an indication of why it occurs and how it can be cured. For this purpose, Ibn Sina made the necessary extracts from various books, and then periodically summarized them. Thus began the preparation of material for the “Canon of Medical Science,” on which Ibn Sina worked for many years.

Until his death, Ibn Sina was unable to return to his homeland, wandering around a foreign land from one city to another. He visited the rulers of Khorezm, Abiverd, Nishapur, Tus, Gurgan, Ray, Hamadan, Isfahan. He experienced hardships and rose to the heights of power, then became a vizier, then ended up in prison, lived in both luxury and poverty, but did not stop his creative and scientific work for one day. His property was plundered more than once, his library was destroyed, including the manuscript of the philosophical encyclopedia in twenty volumes “Al-Insaf” (“Justice”).

According to various sources, the total number of medical works of Ibn Sina reaches 50, but about 30 of them have survived. According to their content, they can be divided (with the exception of the “Canon”) conditionally into three groups: 1) works of a general nature, which highlight those or other branches of medicine and some of its theoretical issues; 2) works on diseases of any one organ or on one specific disease, for example, on heart disease and means of its treatment, on disease of the colon (kulanj), on disorders of the function of the genital organs; 3) works on drug science.

If Ibn Abbaz (930-994) pointed out favorable conditions for testing the effects of drugs in a hospital, then Ibn Sina proposes a system for testing them, including monitoring their effects at the patient’s bedside, conducting experiments on animals, and even some semblance of a clinical trial. At the same time, Ibn Sina considers the most reliable experimental way to test the effect of drugs and proposes “conditions” that ensure the “purity of the experiment.” The “Canon of Medical Science” contains instructions on the need to identify the side effects of drugs, the presence of their mutual strengthening and mutual weakening of the effects of drugs when they are prescribed together.

Ibn Sina associated the development of rational pharmacy with the use of chemically obtained drugs. This idea, which was shared by some Arab and Central Asian scientists and doctors (Jabir ibn Hayyan; Razi, Biruni, etc.), was further developed by the alchemists of medieval Europe, as well as by doctors of the Renaissance and Modern times. Ibn Sina described many new medicines of plant, animal and mineral origin. In particular, his name is associated with the first use of mercury, which in the 10th century. was mined in the vicinity of Bukhara to treat syphilis. He also described the manifestations of mercury stomatitis as a side effect of mercury. From the list of medicines attached to Book Two of the “Canon of Medical Science,” about 150 were listed in the first eight editions of the Russian Pharmacopoeia.

2. “Canon of medical science”

Being the product of an ancient highly developed culture, Central Asian medicine largely determined the level and originality of medicine in the Arab East. The generalizing encyclopedic works of Central Asian doctors greatly contributed to the preservation and development of the achievements of ancient medicine (ancient, Hellenistic, Indian, Iranian, Central Asian), understanding and synthesis of their rich practical experience and theoretical concepts.

Like the generalizing works of Arab doctors, some Central Asian medical encyclopedic works were translated into European languages ​​and played an important role in the development of medicine in Europe. This, first of all, applies to Ibn Sina’s “Canon of Medical Science,” which was undoubtedly the most popular of the medical books created in the East.

For several centuries, the “Canon” served as the main teaching aid in European universities, having a huge impact on the level of specialized knowledge of doctors in medieval Europe.

Advanced Central Asian scientists - philosophers, doctors, natural scientists - were the heralds of a number of new ideas that received recognition and development only a few centuries later. These include attempts to introduce the experimental method into pathology and medicine, the affirmation of the natural scientific essence of medicine as a field of scientific and practical activity, the idea of ​​​​the connection between medicine and chemistry, the relationship of the body with the environment and the role of this environment in pathology, the inextricable connection between the mental and the physical, the assumption Ibn Sina about invisible creatures that can cause febrile diseases and spread through air, water and soil, etc.

Leading doctors and scientists of Central Asia actively opposed the superstitions that reigned in modern medicine, rejected astral ideas, magical numerology, the healing properties of precious stones, spells, amulets, opposing rational means of diagnosis, therapy and hygiene. However, all their efforts remained primarily a “voice crying in the wilderness.” Most representatives of the medical profession willingly used, and sometimes preferred, magical and mystical techniques to methods of rational diagnosis and therapy, for the most part leaving the fate of their patients to the will of Allah.

During Ibn Sina’s lifetime, the extensive work of the founder and head of the hospital in Baghdad, Ali ibn Abbas, entitled “The King’s Book,” enjoyed great fame. One of the immediate predecessors of the “Canon” was the 30-volume work of Abu Bakar al-Razi, “A Comprehensive Book of Medicine.” However, these works suffered from common shortcomings. The information presented in them was not sufficiently systematized, the results of observations were intertwined with obvious fiction, and the recommendations were supplemented with mystical interpretations. The structure of the books was very unclear, and the presentation was so complex that only a sufficiently experienced doctor could use them.

Ibn Sina, while working on the book, set himself the task of avoiding the mistakes of his predecessors and coped with it, creating one of the largest encyclopedic works in the history of medicine - “The Canon of Medical Science.”

The Canon of Medicine is one of the most famous books in the history of medicine. Essentially, this is an entire medical encyclopedia, examining with great completeness (within the limits of knowledge of that time) everything that relates to human health and illness.

This major work, which includes about 200 printed sheets, was already translated from Arabic into Latin in the twelfth century and circulated in many manuscripts. When the printing press was invented, the Canon was among the first printed books, and rivaled the Bible in the number of editions. The Latin text of the “Canon of Medicine” was first published in 1473, and the Arabic text in 1543. The exact date for the completion of work on “Canon” has not been established. Presumably it was 1020.

“The Canon of Medical Science” is an extensive work consisting of 5 books.

Book 1 describes theoretical medicine. The book is divided into four parts. The first part defines medicine, the second deals with diseases, the third deals with maintaining health, and the fourth deals with methods of treatment.

Book 2 describes “simple” medicines and sets out Ibn Sina’s teachings about medicines, their nature, and their testing. 811 products of plant, animal and mineral origin are arranged alphabetically, indicating their action, methods of use, collection and storage rules.

Book 3, the most extensive, is devoted to pathology and therapy - a description of individual diseases and their treatment. Each section is provided with an anatomical and topographical introduction.

Book 4 is devoted to surgery, the treatment of dislocations and fractures, and the general doctrine of fever (crises in illness). It talks about tumors, purulent inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, as well as infectious diseases. The main issues of the doctrine of poisons are covered.

Book 5 contains a description of “complex” medicines, as well as poisons and antidotes.

Pharmacy and pharmacology represent an attempt to combine the collected numerous materials into a system and connect them with clinical observations. The medicines recommended in the “Canons of Medical Science” are varied, many of them later became part of scientific pharmacology.

In Avicenna’s “Canon” there were also chapters devoted to physical exercise, which he called “the most important condition” for maintaining health; in the next place he put diet and sleep patterns. Ibn Sina devoted special chapters of the “Canon of Medical Science” to the upbringing and care of a child. They contain many subtle observations and sound advice. Another strong point of the “Canon of Medical Science” is the accurate description of the clinical picture of diseases and the subtleties of diagnosis. The first descriptions of a number of clinical phenomena and their explanations speak of Ibn Sina’s extraordinary powers of observation, his talent and experience. In diagnosis, Ibn Sina used palpation, observation of the pulse, determination of moisture or dryness of the skin, examination of urine and feces.

Ibn Sina worked a lot on problems of psychology, and mental disorders interested him not only from a purely medical standpoint, but also as an object of psychological research. Apparently, this is the reason why, when describing mental disorders, he sets out in detail his views on the nature of mental processes and the causes of their violation. In the idea of ​​the essence of mental processes, the materialistic aspects of Ibn Sina’s philosophy are especially clearly manifested: no one has ever had such a clear idea of ​​the connection between individual mental processes and the function of certain areas of the brain. Suffice it to recall, for example, Ibn Sina’s instructions that bruises that destroy certain parts of the brain upset sensitivity and cause loss of certain functions. Completely rejecting demonological views on the essence of mental illness, Ibn Sina considered the direct cause of mental disorders to be either the influence of environmental conditions or physical disorders. At the same time, elucidating the relationships and mutual influence of the mental and somatic, apparently, was of particular interest to Ibn Sina: the “Canon” contains indications of the possibility of psychosis in acute febrile illnesses, the connection of gastrointestinal tract disorders with mental experiences (“strong grief”, anger, grief, etc.).

Systematicity and logic were noted as great advantages of the “Canon” even by those who were inclined to downplay the importance of Ibn Sina in the history of medicine. The success of the “Canon of Medical Science” was due to the clarity, persuasiveness, simplicity of describing the clinical picture of diseases, and the accuracy of therapeutic and dietary prescriptions. These features quickly created enormous popularity for the Canon, and ensured its author “autocratic power for five centuries throughout the medical world of the Middle Ages.”

First of all, the “Canon of Medical Science” brought him worldwide fame and immortality. A century after the death of the author, the “Canon” becomes known in the West. Already in the 12th century. it was translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona (1114-1187), in the 13th century. - into Hebrew and was distributed in many manuscripts. After the invention of printing in the 15th century. Among the first publications was “Canon”. It is noteworthy that its first edition appeared in 1473 in Strasbourg, one of the centers of Renaissance humanism. Then, in terms of frequency of publications, it competed with the Bible - only in the last 27 years of the 15th century. “The Canon” went through 16 editions, and in total it was published about 40 times in full and countless times in excerpts. For five centuries, the “Canon” served as a reference book for doctors in many countries of Asia and Europe. In all the oldest universities in Europe, the study and teaching of medicine was based on the work of Ibn Sina.

Separate parts of the “Canon” were translated into European languages, but there was no complete translation. The staff of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, responding to the call of the World Peace Council (1952) to celebrate throughout the world the 1000th anniversary of the birth (according to the lunar calendar) of Ibn Sina, began translations from Arabic into Russian and Uzbek languages ​​of the main medical works of the great scientist. This ambitious work was successfully completed in 1961 with the publication of the complete text of the “Canon” in both languages.

Abu Ali Hussein ibn Sina died on June 24, 1037. He was buried in Hamaran near the city wall, but after 8 months the ashes of Ibn Sina were transported to Isfahal and buried in the mausoleum of Ala al-Daula.

Conclusion

From the above, we can draw a conclusion about the life of Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna) about his works, about his achievements in science, in particular about his achievements in the field of medicine. Abu Ali ibn Sina is a very smart, inquisitive child, with a phenomenally good memory.

Avicenna later became the greatest medical scientist of his time. And his works as a doctor and scientist have survived to this day. He made important discoveries in most areas of medicine, even in the fields of pharmacology and psychology. Avicenna proposed the use of many previously unknown effective medicines on plant, animal and mineral bases. Moreover, he personally tested the effect of many of them in practice at the patient’s bedside. Ibn Sina studied mental disorders not only from a medical position, but also from the position of psychoanalysis.

The books of the “Canon of Medical Science” contain histories of diseases, physiological and anatomical justifications of pathological processes and, of course, methods of treatment and prevention known at that time.

Abu Ali ibn Sina systematically, logically and rationally outlined all his knowledge and skills in his most famous work, the “Canon of Medical Science”. The treatment methods from these books are used by doctors to this day.

Bibliography

1. Yu.N. Zavadovsky: “Abu Ali Ibn Sina”;

2. V.M. Voskoboynikov: “The Great Healer”;

3. B.D. Petrov: “Ibn Sina (Avicenna);

4. V.A. Smirnova-Rakitina: “The Tale of Avicenna”;

5. A.A. Semenov: “Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna).”

6. Canon of medical science.” Abu Ali Ibn Sina. Part 1, Tashkent, 1994.

7. “Small Medical Encyclopedia”, V. Kh. Vasilenko, vol. 5. Publishing house “Soviet Encyclopedia”. Moscow, 1967.

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