Who was Avicenna?
Avicenna (980 -1037 A.D) was a Persian physician and philosopher. From a young age he showed a deep interest and passion for natural sciences. Not being satisfied with theoretical knowledge, Avicenna began to practice medicine from 16. The Canon of Medicine was Avicenna’s most important work and was translated into a variety of European languages. The Canon is regarded as a key influence on early medical thinking in Europe & used as a standard text in Europe as a standard text for universities for 500 years. Such was his contribution to pharmacy that the Royal Pharmaceutical Association of Great Britain incorporated Avicenna’s image into their coat of arms over 150 years ago. As a result each and every UK qualified pharmacist features Avicenna in their pharmacy on their certificate.
Avicenna was a Persian Muslim philosopher and physician in the Middle Ages who compiled many works, the most famous of which isThe Canon of Medicine, a definitive encyclopedia of Greek and Roman medical achievement. Avicenna, or Ibn Sina was very influential to both the Islamic world and the Latin middle ages. He was born in a village near Bukhara in Turkistan. At the age of 18 he could consider himself an accomplished physician and had acquired immense philosophical knowledge as displayed in his large philosophical encyclopedias and in his numerous small treatises. After the collapse of the Samanid empire in 999 he decided to leave Bokhara. About 1020 he was Vizier in Hamadan. The last 14 years of his life were spent in the company of ‘Ala ad-Daula, the ruler of Isfahan, whom he accompanied on all his journeys and on military ventures. He died in Isfahan in 1037 and was buried Hamadan. His existing writings, some of which are in his native Persian though most are in Arabic, include an
