College of Medicine

Approximation of medical concepts in the Canon of Ibn Sina (Avicenna); from the efforts of Dr Mohamed Fawzi Gaballah

The encyclopedia “The Canon of Medicine” by Ibn Sina is the jewel of medical writing in the Middle Ages, and one of the gems of the outputs of the Arab-Islamic civilization, and a prominent title on the richness of its heritage and the treasures of its legacy that benefited humanity for several centuries. Therefore, this work was the mainstay of medical teaching in Western universities after its translation into Latin and other European languages ​​to be the primary source of medical education from the thirteenth century until the end of the seventeenth century AD.

This book is the product of great effort if we know that the original encyclopedia is more than 3000 pages that include medical sciences in its various specializations, as well as pharmaceutical sciences related to single and compound medicines, their quantities and how to take them, and other scientific matters that fall within the scope of pharmaceutical sciences. Dr. Gaballah – may God have mercy on him – focused his attention in his area of ​​specialization (in the medical field) to simplify what Ibn Sina left distributed in the first, third and fourth parts, which are related to medical matters, principles, diseases and various treatments.

This summary is distinguished by highlighting the ancient medical terms used by Ibn Sina and others in the medical field, with mentioning their modern medical terms in English, Latin or Greek. This work is an update of these ancient terms and a statement of their modern content; approximately, and an explanation of their meanings that are hidden from many. Therefore, these terms have been collected and arranged alphabetically, and what is not clear from them in our contemporary language has been explained, and placed at the end of the book as an important appendix for the benefit of the specialist and the general reader. The other merit of this summary is represented in the comments added by Dr. Gaballah and placed in brackets to distinguish them from Ibn Sina’s writings; to show what agrees or disagrees with Ibn Sina’s opinions in terms of medical facts and information according to their counterparts from scientific developments in the modern medical field.