All Topics  
Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi

 
Ali Ibn Abbas Al Majusi

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi
 
 
  Topics Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi Topic Home

Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi (died 982-994), also known as Masoudi, or Latinized
Latinisation (literature)

In literature, Latinization is the practice of writing a name in a Latin style when writing in Latin so as to more closely emulate Latin authors, or to present a more impressive image....
 as Haly Abbas, was a Persian
Persian people

Persian identity, at least in terms of language, is traced to the ancient Indo-Iranians , who arrived in parts of Greater Iran circa 2000-1500 BCE....
 physician
Physician

A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
 and psychologist
Psychologist

"Psychologist" is an academic, occupational or professional title describing individuals who are either: * social scientists conducting research and/or teaching psychology in a college or university;...
 most famous for the Kitab al-Maliki or Complete Book of the Medical Art, his textbook on medicine
Islamic medicine

In the history of medicine, Islamic medicine or Arabic medicine refers to medicine developed in the Islamic Golden Age and written in Arabic language, the lingua franca of the Islamic civilization....
 and psychology
Early Muslim sociology

Medieval Islamic sociology refers to the study of sociology and the social sciences in the Islamic Golden Age. Early Islamic sociology responded to the challenges of social organization of diverse peoples all under common religious organization in the Islamic Caliphate, including the Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate an...
.

as born in Ahvaz
Ahvaz

The city of Ahvaz or Ahwaz , is the capital of the Iranian province of Khuzestan Province. It is built on the banks of the Karun River and is situated in the middle of Khuzestan Province....
, southwestern Persia, and studied under Shaikh Abu Maher Musa ibn Sayyar. He was considered one of the three greatest physicians of the Eastern Caliphate of his time, and became physician to Emir Adhad al-dowleh Fana Khusraw
'Adud al-Daula

A?ud al-Dawla or Azod od-Dowleh Fana Khusraw was an emir of the Buwayhid dynasty in Iran and Iraq. He is widely regarded as the greatest emir of the dynasty....
 of the Buwayhid
Buwayhid

File:Buyid Persian Empire.pngBuyid dynasty or the Buyids , also known as Buwaihids or Buyyids, were a Shia Islam Persian people dynasty that originated from Daylaman....
 dynasty, who ruled from 949 CE to 983 CE.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi'
Start a new discussion about 'Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi (died 982-994), also known as Masoudi, or Latinized
Latinisation (literature)

In literature, Latinization is the practice of writing a name in a Latin style when writing in Latin so as to more closely emulate Latin authors, or to present a more impressive image....
 as Haly Abbas, was a Persian
Persian people

Persian identity, at least in terms of language, is traced to the ancient Indo-Iranians , who arrived in parts of Greater Iran circa 2000-1500 BCE....
 physician
Physician

A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
 and psychologist
Psychologist

"Psychologist" is an academic, occupational or professional title describing individuals who are either: * social scientists conducting research and/or teaching psychology in a college or university;...
 most famous for the Kitab al-Maliki or Complete Book of the Medical Art, his textbook on medicine
Islamic medicine

In the history of medicine, Islamic medicine or Arabic medicine refers to medicine developed in the Islamic Golden Age and written in Arabic language, the lingua franca of the Islamic civilization....
 and psychology
Early Muslim sociology

Medieval Islamic sociology refers to the study of sociology and the social sciences in the Islamic Golden Age. Early Islamic sociology responded to the challenges of social organization of diverse peoples all under common religious organization in the Islamic Caliphate, including the Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate an...
.

Biography

He was born in Ahvaz
Ahvaz

The city of Ahvaz or Ahwaz , is the capital of the Iranian province of Khuzestan Province. It is built on the banks of the Karun River and is situated in the middle of Khuzestan Province....
, southwestern Persia, and studied under Shaikh Abu Maher Musa ibn Sayyar. He was considered one of the three greatest physicians of the Eastern Caliphate of his time, and became physician to Emir Adhad al-dowleh Fana Khusraw
'Adud al-Daula

A?ud al-Dawla or Azod od-Dowleh Fana Khusraw was an emir of the Buwayhid dynasty in Iran and Iraq. He is widely regarded as the greatest emir of the dynasty....
 of the Buwayhid
Buwayhid

File:Buyid Persian Empire.pngBuyid dynasty or the Buyids , also known as Buwaihids or Buyyids, were a Shia Islam Persian people dynasty that originated from Daylaman....
 dynasty, who ruled from 949 CE to 983 CE. The Emir was a great patron of medicine, and founded a hospital at Shiraz
Shiraz, Iran

Shiraz is the sixth most populated city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Rudkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river....
 in Persia, and in 981 the Al-Adudi Hospital
Al-Adudi Hospital

The Al-Adudi Hospital was a hospital in Baghdad named after Emir 'Adud al-Daula. The hospital was built in AD 981, but destroyed in 1258 by the Mongol invasion....
 in Baghdad
Baghdad

Baghdad is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous. With a municipal population estimated at 6.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq, and the second largest city in the Arab World....
, where al-Magusi worked. His ancestors were Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster, after whom the religion is named. The term Zoroastrianism is in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism, i.e., the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority....
, but he himself was a Muslim
Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
. His reverence for Allah
Allah

Allah is the standard Arabic language word for God. While the term is best known in the Western world for its use by Muslims as a reference to God, it is used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, in reference to "God"....
 is evident in the worship and styles of expression throughout his work.

The Complete Art of Medicine

Al-Majusi is best known for his Kitab Kamil as-Sina'a at-Tibbiyya ("Complete Book of the Medical Art"), later called The Complete Art of Medicine, which he completed circa 980. He dedicated the work to the Emir
Emir

Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
, and it became known as the Kitab al-Maliki ("Royal Book", or in Latin Liber Regalis or Regalis Dispositio). The book is a more systematic and concise encyclopedia than Razi's Hawi, and more practical than Avicenna
Avicenna

, known as Abu Ali Sina Balkhi or Ibn Sina and commonly known in English by his Latinized name Avicenna , was a Persian people polymath and the foremost Islamic medicine and Early Islamic philosophy of his time....
's The Canon of Medicine
The Canon of Medicine

The Canon of Medicine is a 14-volume Islamic medicine written by a Science in medieval Islam and physician Avicenna and completed in 1025....
, by which it was superseded.

The Maliki is divided into 20 discourses, of which the first ten deal with theory and the second ten with the practice of medicine. Some examples of topics covered are dietetics and materia medica
Materia medica

Materia medica is a Latin medicine term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing....
, a rudimentary conception of the capillary system
Capillary

Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels, measuring 5-10 micrometre in diameter, which connect arterioles and venules, and enable the interchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances between blood and surrounding tissue s....
, interesting clinical observations, and proof of the motions of the womb during parturition (for example, the child does not come out, but is pushed out).

In Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 a partial Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 translation was adapted as the Liber pantegni
Liber pantegni

The Liber pantegni is a medieval medical text compiled by Constantine the African in ca. the 1080s, ascribed to Isaac Israeli ben Solomon . It is a compendium of Hellenistic medicine and Islamic medicine, in large parts a translation of the kitab al-malaki "royal book" of Ali ibn Abbas al-Magusi....
 by Constantinus Africanus (c. 1087), which became a founding text of the Schola Medica Salernitana
Schola Medica Salernitana

The Schola Medica Salernitana was the first medieval medical school in the cosmopolitan coastal Mezzogiorno city of Salerno, which provided the most important native source of medical knowledge in Europe at the time....
 in Salerno
Salerno

Salerno is a town in southern Italy, capital of the Province of Salerno of the same name, in the region of Campania. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
. A complete and much better translation was made in 1127 by Stephen of Antioch, and this was printed in Venice
Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital city of the Italian regions Veneto, a population of 271,251 . Together with Padua, Italy, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area ....
 in 1492 and 1523.

Medical ethics and research methodology

The work emphisized the need for a healthy relationship between doctors and patients, and the importance of medical ethics
Medical ethics

Medical ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology....
. It also provided details on a scientific method
Scientific method

Scientific method refers to techniques for investigating phenomenon, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and Measure evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning....
ology that is similar to modern biomedical research
Biomedical research

Biomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of medicine....
.

Neuroscience and psychology

Neuroscience and psychology
Early Muslim sociology

Medieval Islamic sociology refers to the study of sociology and the social sciences in the Islamic Golden Age. Early Islamic sociology responded to the challenges of social organization of diverse peoples all under common religious organization in the Islamic Caliphate, including the Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate an...
 were discussed in The Complete Art of Medicine. He described the neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy

Neuroanatomy is the branch of anatomy that studies the anatomical organization of the nervous system. In vertebrate animals, the peripheral nervous system that the myriad nerves take from the brain to the rest of the body , and the internal structure of the brain in particular, are both extremely elaborate....
, neurobiology
Neurobiology

Neurobiology is the study of cell s of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional biological neural network that process information and mediate behavior....
 and neurophysiology
Neurophysiology

Neurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function. Primarily, it is connected with neurobiology, psychology, neurology, clinical neurophysiology, electrophysiology, ethology, neuroanatomy, cognitive science and other brain sciences....
 of the brain
Brain

The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
 and first discussed various mental disorders, including sleeping sickness
Sleeping sickness

Sleeping sickness or human African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease of people and animals, caused by protozoa of species Trypanosoma brucei and transmitted by the tsetse fly....
, memory loss
Memory loss

Memory loss can have many causes:*Alzheimer's disease is an illness which can cause mild to severe memory loss.*Parkinsonism is a genetic defect which can always result in memory loss....
, hypochondriasis, coma
Coma

In medicine, a coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. A comatose person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain or light, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions....
, hot and cold meningitis
Meningitis

Meningitis is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges....
, vertigo
Vertigo (medical)

Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying while the body is actually stationary with respect to the surroundings....
 epilepsy
Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizure s. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain....
, love sickness
Love sickness

Love sickness is a non-medical term used to describe mental and physical symptoms associated with falling in love....
, and hemiplegia
Hemiplegia

Hemiplegia is a condition in which one-half of a patient's body is paralysis. Hemiplegia is more severe than hemiparesis, wherein one half of the body is weakened but not paralysed....
. He placed more emphasis on preserving health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 through diet
Diet

Diet, in relation to food, might mean:* Diet , the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group.* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake....
 and natural healing than he did on medication
Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
 or drug
Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function....
s, which he considered a last resort.

Psychophysiology and psychosomatic medicine

Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi was a pioneer in psychophysiology
Psychophysiology

Psychophysiology the branch of psychology that is concerned with the physiology bases of psychology processes. What used to be known as cognitive psychophysiology until the mid 1990's is currently called Cognitive neuroscience....
 and psychosomatic medicine. He described how the physiological and psychological aspects of a patient can have an affect on one another in his Complete Book of the Medical Art. He found a correlation between patients who were physically and mentally healthy and those who were physically and mentally unhealthy, and concluded that "joy and contentment can bring a better living status to many who would otherwise be sick and miserable due to unnecessary sadness, fear, worry and anxiety."

Sources

  • Lutz Richter-Bernburg, "‘Ali b. ‘Abbas Majusi", in Encyclopedia Iranica, ed. Ehsan Yarshater
    Ehsan Yarshater

    Ehsan Yarshater is the director of The Center for Iranian Studies and Hagop Kevorkian Professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies at Columbia University....
    , 6+ vols. (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul and Costa Mesa: Mazda, 1983 to present), vol. 1, pp. 837-8
  • Manfred Ullmann, Die Medizin im Islam, Handbuch der Orientalistik, Abteilung I, Erg?nzungsband vi, Abschnitt 1 (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1970), pp. 140-146
  • Fuat Sezgin, Medizin-Pharmazie-Zoologie-Tierheilkunde bis ca 430 H., Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, Band 3 (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1970), pp. 320-322
  • Manfred Ullmann, Islamic Medicine (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1978, reprinted 1997), pp. 55-85.
  • Wustenfeld: Geschichte der arabischen Aerzte (59, 1840).
  • Edward G. Browne
    Edward Granville Browne

    Edward Granville Browne born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, England, was a United Kingdom orientalist who published numerous articles and books of academic value, mainly in the areas of history and literature....
    , Islamic Medicine, 2002, p.53-54, ISBN 81-87570-19-9
  • Charles S. F. Burnett, Danielle Jacquart (eds.), Constantine the African and ?Ali Ibn Al-?Abbas Al-Magusi: The Pantegni and Related Texts. Leiden: Brill, 1995. ISBN 9004100148
  • Shoja MM, Tubbs RS. The history of anatomy in Persia. J Anat 2007; 210:359–378.


See also

  • List of Iranian scientists
  • Islamic medicine
    Islamic medicine

    In the history of medicine, Islamic medicine or Arabic medicine refers to medicine developed in the Islamic Golden Age and written in Arabic language, the lingua franca of the Islamic civilization....