Muslim Genius; Ibn Sina’s Effects on Cardiology

Abstract

Ibn Sina (980-1037) was born in the village of Afshana, near Bukhara. Ibn Sina received his early education in his town and by the age of 10 he became a Quran Hafiz. He had exceptional intellectual skills. In some of his teenage years he lived in Anatolia. At the age of sixteen he dedicated all his efforts to learn medicine and when he was eighteen, he gained the status of a reputed physician. His synthesis of Islamic medicine, al Qanun reputed physician fi’l tibb (The Canon of Medicine), was the final authority on medical problems in the world for several centuries. His most significant medical works are the Qanun (Canon) and a thesis on cardiac drugs”. The Canon of Medicine (Qanun: Law of Medicine) is one of the most famous books in the history of medicine. This book is a five volume medical encyclopedia that was completed in 1025. The eleventh section of the third book primarily deals with different kinds of heart diseases, their effects, and treatment. It should be remembered that the Canon of Avicenna was written in early 11th century and it should be reviewed in the light of the state of knowledge concerning heart diseases and their treatment attained at that time. Researchers today have the advantage of highly advanced instruments which were not available to Ibn Sina 1000 years ago. That he wrote this section of the Canon in such detail and compiled a separate thesis on heart drugs are enough to prove that he had a clear understanding of the fatal character of heart diseases. He was a really scientific genius and medical practitioner. About 1000 years ago, he created many medical hypotheses and tried to discover unknown things related with humanity. Especially anatolian muslim researchers have to follow this way if they want to be succeeded or add some fantastic discoveries on science.