These practical and reasonable words were put on paper in the 11th century by one of the greatest of all Muslim physicians, Abu Ali al'Husain ibn Abdullah ibn Sina, better known to the Western world as Avicenna. They supplied the opening to his book titled, The Canon of Medicine. In the 12th century his book was translated into Latin and became the most popular and widely used medical textbook in Europe, the Islamic world and Asia for the next 500 years, to only be replaced by the new science which emerged from the Renaissance. The influence of Avicenna's work can be seen today in the large number of physician's resource groups which bear his name throughout the world.
Avicenna was born in Central Asia in 980 to a father who not only oversaw his son's education, but introduced him to many of the leading intellectuals of the day. He studied philosophy among many other things, but gained immense skill and knowledge in the field of medicine. So much so that at the age of 17 he cured the King of Bukhara of an illness no other physician had been able to touch. As a reward for his service, the young man was allowed access to the king's Royal Library where he furthered his studies.
When his father died, Avicenna began traveling, working as a physician in various towns. In his travels he met and later corresponded with a famous scholar, Al-Biruni, who was influential in the fields of mathematics, history, astronomy, physics and medicine. He also became involved in politics, being appointed vizier by the prince of Hamadan in Persia. After the prince died, Avicenna took to wandering again and ended up in Isfahan in the service of the ruler, Ala ad-Daula. He remained a constant companion to the ruler, accompanying him on journeys and military campaigns and on one of these journeys became ill and subsequently died in 1037 in Hamadan.
During his years of service in Isfahan, Avicenna found time to study more philosophy, medicine, mathematics and astronomy, becoming a leading authority. He published anywhere from 100 to 250 books on these subjects (accounts vary), though two works would become his most famous. The first, The Book of Healing was an encyclopedia which included the fields of psychology, natural sciences, mathematics, astronomy and music. The second, The Canon of Medicine has been called the most famous medical textbook in history.
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