Avenzoar

Avenzoar

Abū Marwān ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abū al-ʿAlāʾ ibn Zuhr (Arabic: أبو مروان عبد الملك بن زهر), traditionally known by his Latin name Avenzoar (/ˌɑːvənˈzoʊər/; 1094 – 1162), was an Arab physician, surgeon and poet. He was born in Seville in medieval al-Andalus (present-day Spain), was a contemporary of Averroes and Ibn Tufayl, and was the most respected physician of his time. He was known especially for his emphasis on placing medical science on a more rational, experimental basis. His principal work, Kitāb al-Taysīr fī al-mudāwāt wa al-tadbīr ("The Book of Simplification Concerning Therapeutics and Diet"), was translated into Latin and Hebrew and was influential in the advancement of surgery. He also advanced surgical and medical knowledge by describing various diseases and their treatments.

Ibn Zuhr performed the first experimental tracheostomy on a goat. He is thought to have been the first to describe bezoar stones as a medical substance.

His life

Ibn Zuhr was born in Seville in 1094 as a child of the well-known Banū Zuhr family, members of the Arab tribe of Iyad. From the early 10th century onward, the family produced six generations of physicians as well as jurists, poets, viziers or courtiers, and midwives in the service of the Andalusian rulers. In keeping with the tradition of medieval Muslim high society, Ibn Zuhr began his education by studying religion and literature. He then received medical training at an early age from his father Abū al-ʿAlāʾ ibn Zuhr (d. 1131). According to Ibn Zuhr himself, his father introduced him to the works of Galen and Hippocrates and required him, while still young, to take the Hippocratic Oath.

Ibn Zuhr began his medical career as a court physician to the Almoravids. However, for an undisclosed reason he later fell out of favor with the Almoravid ruler ʿAli ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin and fled from Seville. But in 1140 he was captured and imprisoned in Marrakesh. This experience, as is clear from his writings, left him with a bitter resentment. Later, in 1147, when the Almohads conquered Seville, he returned and devoted himself to the practice of medicine. He died in Seville in 1162.

According to Leo Africanus, Ibn Zuhr attended the lectures of Averroes and learned physics from him. He was a great admirer of Galen, and in his writings he strongly opposed charlatanism and the superstitious remedies of astrologers.

Kitāb al-Iqtiṣād fī iṣlāḥ al-anfus wa al-ajsād

"The Book of Moderation" is a treatise on general therapy that he wrote in his youth for the Almoravid prince Ibrahim ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin. The book summarizes various diseases, methods of treatment and matters of general hygiene. It is also notable for the advice it gives on cosmetics and physical beauty. Ibn Zuhr even recommends plastic surgery to alter acquired features such as large noses, thick lips or crooked teeth.

Kitāb al-Aghdhiya

The Book of Foodstuffs is, as its name suggests, a guide to nutrition and regimen containing the rules necessary for a healthy life. Ibn Zuhr wrote this book shortly after his release from prison for his new patron, the Almohad leader ʿAbd al-Muʾmin al-Kūmī. The book includes classifications of various dishes and foods such as bread, meat, drinks, fruits and sweets. In discussing meat, Ibn Zuhr speaks of the meats of various animals — including those of unusual animals such as the gazelle, the lion and the snake — and classifies them according to their taste, benefits and digestibility. He also recommends foods specific to each season of the year. For example, since digestion is faster in the winter months, the quantity of food consumed should also be increased. Moreover, because temperatures are lower and humidity is higher, foods should be warmer and drier.

Kitāb al-Taysīr fī al-mudāwāt wa al-tadbīr

The Kitāb al-Taysīr is regarded as the last work Ibn Zuhr wrote before his death. As stated in the introduction, the book was written at the request of his friend Averroes so that it might serve as a companion to Averroes's medical encyclopedia the Colliget, which focused more on general medical subjects. The two books were later translated into Hebrew and Latin, printed as a single book, and retained their popularity until the 18th century.

The book, consisting of 30 chapters, presents the clinical description and diagnosis of diseases starting from the head. Ibn Zuhr gave an accurate account of cancers of the esophagus, stomach and mediastinum as well as of other lesions. He recommended feeding by enema to keep patients with stomach cancer alive. He was also the first to give pathological descriptions of inflammations such as otitis media and pericarditis.

Ibn Zuhr's greatest contribution to the field of medicine is perhaps his application of the experimental method by initiating animal experiments. He is known to have performed medical procedures on animals before applying them to humans, in order to understand whether they would work. The most striking of these was his endorsement and recommendation of the surgical method of tracheotomy, which was much debated at the time. In attempting to resolve the controversy, Ibn Zuhr described the following medical experiment he performed on a goat:

"When, in the early stages of my education, I read these views (debates), I cut the windpipe of a goat after cutting the skin and the covering sheath beneath it. Then I completely severed the core of the tube, an area slightly smaller than the size of a tirmisa (lupin seed). Then I washed the wound with water and honey, until it healed and the animal fully recovered and lived a long time."

Other works

Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa also mentions the following works of Ibn Zuhr:

Fī al-Zīna ("On Adornment").

Al-Tiryāq al-Sabʿīnī ("On Antidotes").

Fī ʿIllat al-Kilā ("On Kidney Diseases").

Fī ʿIllat al-Baraṣ wa al-Bahaq ("On Leprosy and Vitiligo").

His legacy

The Jewish physician-philosopher Maimonides admired Ibn Zuhr, describing him as "one of the unique and great sages of his age." He frequently quoted him in his medical texts. Averroes praised him as the greatest physician since Galen. Both his daughter and his grandson also became physicians and specialized in the field of obstetrics.

Sources

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