Bull. Ind. Inst. Hist. Med. Vol. XXII pp 111 to 120
THERAPY AND MEDICAMENTS BY IBN AL-NAFIS
SAMIR YAHIA EL-GAMMAL'~
ABSTRACT
Ibn AI-Nafis was one 01 the head physicians in Egypt and an outstanding and brilliant philosopher of the 13th century A.D. He devoted all his life to his studies in medicine and anatomy. He began his research work with explaining the compilations of othe- physicians then turned his way, and began writing his own books based on his pe-sonal experiments on human bodies and animals, and could come to his own conclu- sions about the mechanism of action of the different organs. He also tried his best to present medicine to the common people as simple as possible. He described many forms of dietary food, best drugs to use etc. He gave specified new nomenclature and defini- tions to drugs also. Thus his life was filled with scientific activity specially medicine arid helped in directing it to the right and true path which guided the European scientists to follow his ideas and to discover more about it.
Alaa EI Din Ali ibn Abi Al-Hazrn sician in the Hospital AI-Naseri (built Ibn AI-Nafis Al-Our ashi (or Al-Oara- by the King AI-Naser Salah AI-Din shi) ... known as Ibn AI- Natis, was (Saladin). Later on, he became chief one of the head physicians in Egypt physician at the Bimarestan AI-Man- and an outstanding and brilliant souri which was built by the King philosopher of the 13th century A.D. AI-Mansour Qalawoun in 1285 A.D. He was born in Damascus, Syria in When he died, in 1288 A.D. he 1207 A.D. studied medicine in the donated his house and books to this Bimarestan (hospital) of lbn Zanki in hospita I. Damascus as a pupil to the physician AI-Dekhwaar, and later to Ornran Ibn Al-Nafis devoted all his life Al-Isvae!i. He migrated to Cairo, to his studies in medicine and ana- Egypt during the rule of the Ayyubid tomy, did not get married, was very King Al-Karnel, and worked as a phv- modest in scientific vanity, was busy
":Pharmacist. Rc;cearcher in the His i o r v of Medicine & Pharmacy, POBox No. 136. Ma adi. Cairo. ~=UYrt. 112 Bull. Ind. lrrst , Hist. Med. Vol. XXII in discussing the intellectual and where it mixes with air, then returns scientific persons at his home most from the lungs to the left cavity of the day and night. His genius mind through the pulmonary vein, where was not due to, as many of his critics the 'spirit' is produced, then runs and opposition declared, that he knew from the heart to the tissues. (the by heart all of the medical works of greater blood circulation i.e. the return Avicenn a. but in fact that he corrected of the blood from the tissues back to many of Galen's and Avicenn a's the right cavity of the heart was not books in medicine and therapy, and known untill William Harvey in 1616 so could discover the lesser blood and Marcello Malpighi in 1661 could, circulation (i e. from the heart to the through the use of a microscope of lungs) . viewing the mi nute capillaries res- ponsible for that). All physicians of lbn Al-Natis time took for granted, the theories lbn Al-Nafis. mentioned also that, concerning the physiological function there must be inside of the human of the body organs which were men- heart, another cavity where the blood tioned by Galen, and afterwards, by gets ready for us admixture with the Avicenna, without doubting in its atmospheric air i e. the air can not contents, ... except Ibn AI-Nafis, who mixes with bloed in its coarse state. considered Hippocrates... that great This cavity lie ; in the right cavity of Greek physician as more accurate the heart, and when the blood gets than anyone who came after him. softer in this cavity in contact with He wrote a book explaining the texts air, then it passes to the left cavity of Hippocrates called 'Sharh Kotub where the spirit is born, but since the Abiqrat', and commented on it. Ibn wall between the two cavities is Al-Nafis. althoujjh denied strongly impermeable, and has no apparent that he was practising dissection, exit, as some people has thought, and yet his accurate interpretations and also no invisible exit as Galen findings about the passage thought, because the body of of the blood in the heart and the the heart is so thick and the valves function of the veins in it, proves the are also impermeable, then the blood opposite. He corrected that Galen must pass through the pulmonary mentioned about the presence of vein to the luriqs where it stays till it minute pores through which, the mixes with the air and gets rid of blood passes from the right cavity of lighter matter then passes to the the heart to the left cavity, and pulmonary vein till it reaches the left cavity of tho heart after being explained that the passage of blood admixed with the air and become from the right cavity is done through suitable for the 'spirit' to be created ... the pulmonary artery to the lungs, what is left in the blood of coarser Therapy and Medicaments bv Lbn AI-Nafis---£I Gamma! 113 matter, is used by the lungs for its circulation dates back to the ancient nourishment. Egyptians, who, through their dissec- tion of both the human bodies and Also, lbn Al-Natis was aware the animals, could discover many that the nourishment of the heart anatomical features and physiological comes from the blood passing through properties of the different organs, as the heart veins, where he mentioned evidenced by the contents of Edwin that the blood in the right ventricle Smith Surgical papyrus (1550 B.C.), of the heart is not suitable for its where mention of the heart and its nourishment. The heart gets its food function in blood circulation was from the blood that passes in its widely known to most surgeons. veins. The Greeks quoted much from the ancient Egyptian anatomy and He also corrected what Avicenna physiology, specially that of the heart, had quoted from Galen about the and so appeared in Hippocrates's heart cavities, when he mentioned works, and later in the theories of that the heart has three ventricles, Erasistratos, that great Alexandrian and this is not ture. because the heart anatomist and physiologist at the has only two ventricles, one of them famous Mauseion of Alexandria, is filled with blood which is the right Egypt where he performed his or.e. and the other is filled from the experiments in its medical school on spirit, i.e. the left one, and there humans and animals specially exists 110 passage between those two monkeys (3rd century B.C.). These ventricles, or else the blood could informations about the heart and its pass to the {Jlace of the spirit and so functions were familiar to Gres k destroys its nature, and the anatomy physicians including Galen, whose of such organ shows how wrong they works were translated into Arabc. are. after being translated into Coptic, Syriac and other languages. Thus This explanation of the lesser the Arab-Islamic scientists, alter blood circulation was mentioned in translating most of the Greek medical Ibn Al-Nafiss book entitled 'Tashreeh volumes, could benefit from it a I /\I-Qanun Ii lbn Sino' (Anatomy of and distributed it through all of the AlOanun by Aviccnna), which is his new Islamic empire. The British physi- most important compilation (this cian and physiologist Wi\l;am Harvey volume was not discovered untill (1578-1657 A.D), could rediscover 1921 in Berlin, and so the real value this lesser blood circulation in 1616, of Ibn ll.l- Naf iss discovery of this and opposed and corrected many of theory was recently known). In fact, the opinions of Galen, Vese lius. the discovery of the lesser bloed Servetus (a Spanish physician, 1511- 114 Bull. Ind. Inst. Hist, Med. Vol. XXII
1553 A. D. who also rediscovered that 6. AI-Mukhtaar min AI-Aghzia part of the blood runs in the lungs), (Selection from Foods). Columbus, Cesalpinus and others. 7. Sharh Tashrih lbn Sina (Explana- Harvey found that the heart muscle tion of Avicenna's anatomy). acts as a muscular pump and the blood is pushed to the lungs through 8. AI-Resalah AI-Kameliah fil Sirah the veins and arteries. . Al-Moharnrnadiah (Kamel's Treatise on Mohammad's Biography), where Ibn AI- Nafis began his researches he mentioned once more the role and by explaining the compilations of function of the heart, lungs and other physicians, such as that of puimonary blood circulation (Lesser Avicennas Oanun. Hunain Ibn Ishaq's blood circulation), and also the 'AI- Masaa'el'. Hippocrates's materia function of the different human body medica, Galen's anatomy .. and others, organs, and the way each operates. then turned his way, and began writing his own books based on his He also tried his best to present personal experiments on human medicine to the common people as bodies and animals, and could come simple as possible, so as the greater to his own conclusions about the majority of them could know the mechanism of action of the different different body organs and their organs he examined. functions. Also, he pushed greatly the development in medicine when His own compilations were: he fascilitated the treatment for the 1. Sharh Mufradat AI-Qanun (Expla- sick people, modified the healing nation of the simple drugs in procedures, and the regulation of the Al-Oanun by Avicenna), and also an patient's diet in the first place rather abridged form. than to depend on drugs alone. 2. Tafasir AI-Elal wa Asbab AI- So, in the other abridged book on Amra ad (Explanation of the diseases AI-Qanun of Avicenna 'Mouqaz and their causes). Al-Oanun Fil Tibb' (Abridged AI- 3. Sharh AI-Hedayah fil Tibb Qanun), he described many forms of (Explanation of the Salvation in dietary food, best drugs to use etc.. Medicine). thus arranged it accordir.qlv to four 4. AI-Shamel fil tibb (Comprehen- arts; sion in Medicine), which he intended 1. The two important rules in practi- to be in 300 volumes, but could not sing medicine i.e. scientifically and write except 80. practically. 5. AI-Muhazzab fil Kohl (The Refined 2. Simple and compound drugs book in Ophthalmology). totether with food. Therapy and Medicern mt s bv /bn Ai-Netts=Et Gamma/ 715
3. Specific diseases of each organ, not to use one drug repeatedly for a causatio n, diagnosis, and tre atrnent. longer period lest the body gets 4. Diseases that occur in a definite accustomed to it, and if the patient organ than the other, causation, signs Can take food instead of any drug, it and treatment. is strongly advisable.
Concerning the therapy using drugs, Concerning simple drugs, Ibn Ibn Al-Naf is mentioned that they are Al-Nafis recommended the intake of governed by three laws: a single moderate one, as much as possible, instead of using compound 1. Selection of the specific drug drugs such as the Tiryaques, in which after knowing the illness, using it as each component acts separately and an antidote. independently on the body organs 2. Selection of the amount and producing harmful side effects. He mode of action of the specific drug also showed that the effect of the using the way of assumption regar- drug may be shown through external ding the nature of the diseased organ, application such as bandages or the severity of the disease, patient's internal one like orally. age, his habits, season, occupation, country, facial features and his body He explained also that the force strength. of action of the drug could be 3. Recognition of the exact time the identified through two channels; the disease has occured. first is experirnentallv while the second is done by sequence ... and Ibn AI-Nafis recommended the concluded that experimentation is far use of bathing the patient before and more better. Also, the way the drug after taking the treatment, and warned acts can be known whether the effect against eating after the drug has been is slow or fast. administered or else the potency of the drug will decrease, since the body Ibn AI- Nafis also gave specified new nomenclature and definitions to will be busy with digesting the food. drugs, such as : He also recommended the use of 1. The Condensed drug; that which venesection, cautery since it will does not dissolve rapidly inside the purify the blood, cures headaches body (AI-dava-al-kaseef). (meaning high blood pressure). 2. The Brittle drug; that which intentional vomiting twice monthly, pulverise easily by any slight pressure avoiding constipation due to 'l aziness (AI-dava-al hash). of the intestines by using purgatives 3. The Nice drug; that which dis- in upgrading potencies, keeping care solves rapidly inside, due to the 116 Bull. Ind. Inst. Hist. Med. vot, XXII body's own temperature (AI-dava-al- down the vessel (AI-dava-al-rnufa- latee!) . tthih) . 4. The Sticky drug; that which 15. The Relaxing drug; that which separates when gets over stretched softens the limb with its own heat ( AI-dava-al-Iazij). and humidity (AI dava-af-murakhi). 5. The Solid drug; that which liqui- 16. The Ripening drug; that which fies while being firm and in piece changes the form of the mixture and ( A/-dava-al- jamed). pushes it outside (AI-dava-al-munzij). 6. The liquid drug; that whose parts 17. The Digestive drug; that which fall down easily (AI-dava-al-sael). accelerates the ripening of the food. 7. The Salivary-like drug; that which (AI-dava-al-flaz irn). separates into parts when infused, 18. The Carminative drug; that which forming a sticky-product (AI-dava-al- tenderizes the winds (gases) and luabi) . drags them outside (AI-dava-al- 8. The Greasy drug; that which muhall il -Iil -Ri ah). forms a greasy interior (AI-dava et- 19. The Dividing drug; that which dahani) . divides the material into small portions 9. The Desiccating drug; that which but still keeping a thick consistency absorbs water when gets in contact, (AI-dava-al-muqatta) . showing no visible traces (AI-dava- 20. The Extracting drug; that which al-munashshifi) . rnoves the material from its place 10. The Soothing drug; that which (AI- dava-al- js zi b) . makes the component thinner 21. The Pungent drug; that which (Ai-dava-al-muiattif) . disconnects, through its penetrative power, the organ attachement in 11. The Decomposing drug; that several points, which can not be felt which fascilitates the evaporation of individually but collectively (AI. dava- the component t At-aev e-et-mebtits . al-Iaz;) . 12. The Polishing drug; that which 22. The Warming drug; that which removes the sticky liquids from the pulls the blood strongly up to skin, organ (AI-dava-al jali). causing a rise in its temperature 13. The Harshening drug; that which giving it a deeply red colour changes the surface of the organ (AI-dava-al-muhammir) . differently after being in contact with 23. The Scraping drug; that which a sticky material (AI-dava-al-mukha- attracts externally a pungent acrid shshin) . humour (AI-dava-al-muhak kite], 14. The Opening drug; that which 24. The Ulcerative drug; that which gets out the material which blocks is concerned with the original humi- The repv and M;;dicaments by lbn AI-Nafis-El-Gammal 117 dity and pulls out a bad substance 35 The Soporific drug; that which that ulcerates (AI-dava-al-muqurih). renders, the sensitive or the locomo- 25. The Burning drug; that which tive spirit (soul) or the part that keeps with its hotness, the softness can not be affected psvcholoqicallv. of the humours and its ashes completely acceptable (AI-dava· al (AI-dava-al-muhrique) . mukhaddir) . 26. The Corrosive drug; that which 36. The Flatulating drug; that which minimizes the size of a part of the possess excretive humidity that is flesh due to its increased ulceration undecomposable by heat thus forming (AI-dava-al-akka/) . gases (AI-dava al munaffikh). 27. The Crumbling drug; that which 37. The Washing drug; that which converts the solid humour into smaller cleans through its humidity and segments (AI-dava-al-mufatit). flowing power (AI-dava-al-Gassal). 28. The Putrefying drug; that which 38. The Filthying drug for ulcers; alters the nature of the spirit and that which slickens them with humidity thus making it unsuitable its humidity (AI-dava-al-musikh-/il- for the desired function (AI-dava-a1- Quruh) . mauffin) . 39. The Slipping drug; that which 29. The Caustic drug; that which liquifies the surface of excreta which burns the skin turning it into the is congested in the tract, thus fascili- state of melted grease (AI-dava-al- tates its expulsion (At-dev e al- kavi) . muzaliqque). 30. The Exfoliating drug; that which expels the rotten parts (AI-dava-al 40. The Smoothing drug; that which quashir) . spreads over the surface of a rough organ, thus hiding its harshness 31. The Tonic drug; that which (AI-dava·al-mumallis) . changes the temperament of the organ thus preventing it from retaining 41. The Drying drug; that which the excreta (AI dava-al-muquavvi). abolishes the humidity by soothing and disintegrating it (AI-dava-al- 32. The Restraining drug; that which mu ja/iff). is controversary to the extracting drug (A!-dava-al-radi). 42. The Astringent drug; that which 33. The Thickening drug; that which sticks together a\l of the organ's is co ntroversurv to the soothing drug segments (AI-dava-al-quabiz). (AI- dava- ,,!- muqel! iz). 43. The Squeezing drug; that which 34. The Unripening drug; that which fortifies the astringent effect till it is controversary to the digestive drug evacuates what is in the organ i At-dev» al-mufaj/lj). (AI-da/a-a!· Aasir). 718 Bull. Ind. l nst, Hist. Me d, Vol. XXII
44. The Blocking drug; that which new flesh t Al-d ev e-et-mumbit-lit- becomes clogged in the tracts due to Lahm) . increased condensation or stickiness 48. The Sealing drug; that which is or dryness, thus blocks it (AI-dava-al- applied over the cut wound to guard musaddid). against sepsis (AI-dava-al-khatim). 45. The Glueing drug; that which is dry with sticky humidity that sticks 49. The Theriaque; that which pre- to the openings and plugs them serves the health and strength of the (AI-dava-al-mugarri) . spirit, thus antagonizes poisons (AI-dava-al-tiryaqueval-fadzahar) . 46. The Healing drug; that which desiccates, making the humidity That was the life of Ibn AI-Nafis, which forms over the cut wound so filled with scientific activity specially sticky and hold together (AI-dava·al- medicine, and helped in directing it mudammil). to the right and true path which 47. The Hesh-producinq drug; that guided the European scientists to which agglutinates the blood that follow his ideas and to discover more flows to the cut wound, thus forming about it. Therapy and Medicaments by /bn A/-Nafis-E! Gamma/ 119 ~,t~
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