The gift of the Islamic renaissance to the world: Who is the great physician Avicenna?

Medicine man, astronomer, writer, and philosopher Ibn-i Sina was born in the village of Efşene near Bukhara in 980 and died in the city of Hamedan in 1037. He has written 200 books in different fields, focusing on medicine and philosophy.

After the Sultan of Bukhara fell ill, he recovered as a treatment for Ibn Sina. In return, he had the opportunity to use the library of the palace. Avicenna, who won the title of doctor only at the age of 19, began to treat patients free of charge. Two years later, when he was 21, he lost his father. At the same age, he specialized in all Madrasah branches. The Sameni Dynasty ended when Ibn Sina was 23 years old. After this event, a difficult process confronted Ibn Sina. He did not accept the request of Mahmud of Ghazni to come under his protection. After this event, he migrated to the west and went to the city of Ürgenç. After going to Ürgenç, he explored the regions up to Merv, Nişabur, and Khorasan one by one. Avicenna, who fell ill during these examinations, settled next to his friend in the Gorgan region on the shores of the Caspian Sea. During this period, he wrote the book "The Law of Medicine". Emir of Hamadan; As he was disturbed by the fact that Ibn Sina was living with the governor of Isfahan, he gave a prison sentence to the Grand Master, as the westerners call it. Ibn Sina, who was imprisoned until the end of the war, experienced extreme misery and difficulties in this process. Unhappy with being forced to work alongside the Emir of Hamedan after his imprisonment, Ibn Sina made a plan. He fled the city in disguise with his brother, two students, and two slaves. After a tense flight for fear of being caught, he reached the city of Isfahan.

In his new life, he worked as a scientist for 10 years with Ebu Cafer. In this process, he started to participate in wars as well as work as a doctor, and scientist. During the Hamedan campaign, when he suffered from severe abdominal pain, he could hardly stand. When they reached Hamedan, he could not get out of his bed due to aches and pains. In the meantime, he donated all his property to the poor, showing great virtue. He gave freedom to his slaves. He died on a Ramadan morning in 1037. Between 980 and 1037, he made significant contributions to humanity.

If Avicenna had told his life story himself, how would he have told it?

I was born in 980 AD in a village near Bukhara in the territory of the Samani Dynasty. I do not know for sure whether I am of Turkish or Persian origin… As you know, in my time there were too many migrations due to wars, and population records were not kept.

When I was 10, I memorized the Qur'an and became a hafiz. In addition to this, I have written about 200 books and 450 articles, mainly on medicine and mostly philosophy, throughout my life spanning 57 years. He is known to Westerners as the founder of Medieval Modern Science, the leader of physicians, and I am known as the "Grand Master, Avicenna". My book named “The Law of Medicine and Healing” was taught in European universities until the middle of the 17th century as basic work in medical science.

My father was a respected scientist in the Samani empire, and he taught my first lessons. I took courses and did studies on geometry, logic, medicine, natural science, and Islam. I learned logic and Euclidean geometry in mathematics from the famous mathematician Abdullah Natili; I learned physics and metaphysics by myself. Farabi and Aristotle influenced me a lot in the fields of philosophy and metaphysics.

When I was only 17 years old, when I healed the sick Bukhara prince, I had the opportunity to benefit from the palace library with valuable books. At the age of 19, I obtained the title of doctor and started treating my patients free of charge.

I lost my father when I was 21. When the Samani Dynasty came to an end 2 years later, I did not accept the offer of Mahmud of Ghazni, who wanted me to be under his command and went west to the city of Urgench. Then I wandered around the region step by step, from Merv to Nishapur and the borders of Khorasan. During this time I became severely ill and eventually met an old friend in Gorgan, on the Caspian Sea coast, and settled in with him. Here in the city, I made a living by giving lessons in logic and astronomy. It was here that I started to write my book, The Law of Medicine.

The Emir of Hamedan, who learned that I had settled next to the governor of Isfahan, arrested and imprisoned me. My life in prison, which was hard and miserable, came to an end when the war was over. I reluctantly worked alongside the Emir of Hamedan. Soon after, I fled the city in disguise with my brother, a student, and two slaves, and reached Isfahan again after a fearful journey.

For the next 10 years, I remained in the service of the scientist Abu Jafar. Here I worked as a doctor, and science consultant and even participated in wars. During a Hamedan expedition, I suffered an attack of a severe stomachache. I could hardly stand and was very tired. On my deathbed when I arrived in Hamedan, I donated my goods to the poor and gave my slaves their freedom. I said goodbye to life in the month of Ramadan, in 1037.

What I Do in the Field of Medicine

While examining the patients, I paid special attention to their constitution, temperament, lifestyle, food intake, and asked and listened to the body movements they could do and had difficulty with.

I would examine the patient's body from head to toe, feel the liver and spleen with my hand, listen to the chest and heart, and check the pulse. I have determined that blood is a liquid that carries food, that there is sugar in the urine in diabetes, that some diseases can be inherited.

I was the first to discover that invisible microbes play a role in the root of many diseases. I described scarlet fever, anthrax and jaundice, stomach ulcers, and cancer. I studied the anatomy of the eye.

I suggested that the patient be given drugs during the surgeries, and I provided the use of a device to pull the baby by the head in difficult births. In the treatment, I gave importance to enemas, ice packs, hot and cold water baths, sports, and spring water to drink.

My most important book is the Law of Medicine; topics such as experimental medicine, clinical testing, productivity research, risk factor, and disease diagnosis based on findings. My book also contains important information in the field of pharmaceutical science.

What I Do in the Field of Physics

Another area of ​​my interest was physics… I was interested in optics, physiological optics, and dynamics. In the explanation of motion, which is one of the important subjects in physics, I opposed Aristotle's view and said that if an object does not encounter an obstacle, its motion is continuous. This was later expressed similarly by Newton and accepted as the First Newton's Law.

I have lived a very long life. Some of this was spent on migration routes, short stays in some cities, and fleeing to save my life. I am happy if what I have found has helped humanity even centuries after me...