THE
CANON OF MEDICINE
OF
AVICENNA
AMS
PRESS
NEW
YORK
ReP,o,l„ce,l
in- /.c-i-;i.,.ss„.Ji of the Trusts of the Unt.sh .11».*-.
A
physician and his patient.
From
an early .Persian MS. (Add. 27.261. f. 371b)
"
\ "Teat sage—a reader of ancient books, Greek, Persian, Latin,
Arabian,
and Svriac ; and skilled in medicine and astronomv, both
with
respect to their scientific principles and the rules of their
practical
applications ; he was experienced in all that bealeth
and
hurteth the bodv ; conversant with the virtues of every plant,
dried
and fresh, the baneful and the useful. He was versed in the
wisdom
of the philosophers, and had compassed the whole range
of
medical science and other branches of the knowledge-tree.
Uth
Xiglil'—Hiirton; Lane.)
Library
of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Avicenna,
980-1037-
A
treatise on the Canon of medicine of Avicenna.
Original
work has title: al-Qanun fi al-tibb.
Bibliography:
p.
1.
Medicine, Arabic. I. Grmier, Oskar Cameron, tr,
II.
Title.' [DEEM: WZ290 A957q bk. 1 ^W^
E128.3-A9732
1973 610 73-12409
ISBN:
0-404-11231-5
U
7
-d-
.J i.J
H\/
Reprinted
from the edition of 1930, London
First
AMS edition published in 1973
Manfuactured
in the United States of America
AMS
PRESS INC.
NEW
YORK, N. Y. 10003
PREFACE
The
purpose of the present treatise is two-fold :
(i)
To furnish a translation of the First Book of the
Canon
of Medicine of Avicenna. The section on Anatomy
has
been omitted in favour of the first half of the Be viribus
cordis.
This assists in the second object of this treatise. Distinctively
large
type is used for the translation.
(2)
To present a study of its mystical philosophy {tassawuf),
especially
showing where this and modern biological
knowledge
are reciprocally illuminative.
The
words of the late Prof. E. G. Browne may be quoted
here
: " Even if we rate the originality of Arabian medicine at
the
lowest, I venture to think that it will deserve more careful
and
systematic study."
Furthermore,
the Thomistic philosophy of human nature
is
specially discussed, and its applicability to the Medicine
of
the future is definitely enunciated.
A
grateful acknowledgment is made to the School of
Oriental
Studies, London Institution (University of London)
for_
signal help in the acquisition of the Arabic, Persian, and
Chinese
essential to the purposes of the treatise.
O.
Cameron Gruner.
London,
Becember, 1929.
v
CONTENTS
A.
The Treatise
page
Preliminary
Thesis: The Canon of Medicine in relation to
modern
thought - - - - - ",".." " *
I.
The intellectual culture contemporary with Avicenna
(a)
In the central Saracen empire, (b) In the
western
Saracen empire, (c) Among the
Chinese.
II.
The knowledge presented by the Canon, as compared
with
that of to-day (§ 7- 1
8
)
" " " " " ,;
5
(a)
The Canon is a precis, (b) The word Canon.
(V)
The word " knowledge." (d) Mystical
insight.
III.
The basic difference between the Canon and Modern
Medicine
(§ 19-22) -----""" 8
IV.
Special differences between the Canon and Modern
Medicine
(§ 23-37) -------- 1°
(a)
Conceptions .known to Avicenna ; not now
recognised,
(b) Conceptions known to modern
medicine,
but not to Avicenna. (c) Knowledge
common
to Avicenna and modern
medicine.
V
Of interest to the Scholar (§ 38) - - - - \
VI.
Brief survey of the Intention of this treatise ($ 40-44) 19
The
doctrine of Matter and Form (§ 55-108) 39
Death
and Destiny (§ 11 1-1 1 5) ------- I 2
The
Humours (§ 116, 117) " " " ' " " " " ?,
The
basis of Anatomy in the Canon Q 1 18-127) - - - ±03
The
doctrine of the Breath (§ 136-150) ------ 12.,
Scholastic
psychology (§ 155-165) - - I39.H3
Coloured
Plate representing the corporeal and psychical Faculties facing p. 143
The
Bath-house (§ 198, 199) ' : " ~ " " " " Ifc
Expiative
causes of Disease (§ 201) - - - - " ' P
Chinese
sphygmology (§ 208-224, 234, 235)- - - - ' 20
J>
Table
of Terminology relative to the Pulse (Latin, Arabic, Chinese) facing p. 289
The
doctrine of the pulse (§ 218-220, 225-230, 231-233) - 293-308
Urinalysis,
ancient versus modern (§ 238-239) - - - 349
Dietetics
(§ 195, 248-253) ------ ' 219' 4
\
4
Ornamental
Plate, with special portraits - /<"»»£ P- 553
Concluding
Survey (§ 267-300) - - - - " - _
"
553
•
Plate : Rembrandt, " The Raising of Jairus' daughter '
-
facing p. 567
Appendix:
I. Progress; II. Facts-Knowledge-Truth - 569
ri
HI.
The Materia Medica of the Canon - - 57*
References
----------- 573
vi
CONTENTS
vii
B.
The Translation page
Introductory
words (1-5) - - - 22
BOOK
I
.
PART I
Thesis
I. Definition and Scope of Medicine (6-18) - 25
Thesis
II. Cosmology (19-25) - - - - - ' - 34
Thesis
III. The Temperaments (26-66) - - - - e 7
Thesis
IV. The Humours (67-113) - . . . . ?6
Thesis
V. Anatomy (114-135) - - - - - - 93
Thesis
VI. General Physiology (136-173) - - - 107
Psychology
(174-183) - - - - - - 135
PART
II
Disorders
of Health
Thesis
I. Definition of Terms (191-230) - - - - 156
Thesis
II. The Causes of Disease. Etiology (231-451) 173
A.—Unavoidable
Causes - - - - _ _ -17s
(i)
Extracorporeal.
The
influence of seasonal changes on the body - 183
Climate
: (a) Latitude, (5) Altitude, (c) Mountains,
(d)
Seas, (<?) Winds, (/) Soil, (g) Marshes
(305-332)
- - - - - _ . . I9S
(ii)
Corporeal. Causes unavoidable because physiological.
------....
2IO
Dietetics
(347-360) - - - - - _ -214
The
various kinds of drinking water (361-392) - 221
B.—Facultative
Causes of Disease - -" - - 230
Balneology
(400-414) ------- 232
Thesis
III. The Evidences of Disease.
Semeiology
(452-677) -------- 2=57
Sphygmology
(515-602) -------- 283
Urinoscopy
(603-674) -------- 323
The
Alvine Discharge (675-677) - - - - - - 353
PART
III
The
Preservation of Health (678-904^ - - - . ?e 7
Dietetics
(759-814, 855-859) - - '- - - - 394,432
PART
IV
The
Treatment of Disease (905-1085) ----- 460 BOOKS II-V. Brief List of Contents - -
- - 532
Translation
of " De Viribus Cordis " (168-173, 1086-1130) 123 K2a
Index
- °' ?„t
5/9
PRELIMINARY
THESIS
The
Relation between the Canon of Medicine of Avicenna
and
Modern Thought
CONSIDERATIONS
are not wanting which entitle
the
Canon of Medicine of Avicenna to an esteemed
position
in modern thought. In the first place, there
is
the outstanding intellectual culture of the Saracen
Empire
during the period of history to which Avicenna
belongs.
Secondly, in the case of much of his
teaching,
it may be.said that the difference from ours
is
largely only that his speech is alien, and is apt to be
misunderstood.
In these days, the great complexity of the language
with
which we express our scientific thought corresponds with the
intricacy
of the instruments wherewith facts are elicited. Thirdly, many of the advances of
modern times offer the solutions to the very
theorems
and propositions of former times. Finally, ideas are to be
found
in his work which provide suggestions for useful research in
the
future.
§
I
.
The importance of idea over material achievement is not
to
be forgotten. The achievements of any age are subject to decay
with
the lapse of centuries, but the ideas which gave rise to them
remain
living through all cycles. Therefore to propose a real place
for
Avicenna in modern thought is not to propose a return, as it were,
to
old architecture, or the costumes of long ago. It is rather to
render
accessible to-day the picture which he painted, and so enable
it
to renew its still vital message. It is to play over again the music
which
he expressed, and enable perhaps one or two to rejoice in it. And this without obscuring
the issue by discussing nationality, or
schoolsof
thought, or evolution of ideas, or technical methods.
