Ibn Zuhr 735136 222095647 2008-06-27T15:14:16Z Jagged 85 468111 /* Acheivements */ parasites '''Abū Merwān ’Abdal-Malik ibn Zuhr''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: '''أبو مروان عبدالملك إبن زهر ''') (also known as '''Ibn Zuhr''', '''Avenzoar''', '''Abumeron''' or '''Ibn-Zohr''') ([[1091]]&ndash;[[1161]]) was an [[Arab]] [[Islamic medicine|Muslim physician, pharmacist, surgeon]], [[Parasitology|parasitologist]], [[Ulema|Islamic scholar]], and teacher. ==Early life== He was born in [[Seville]], and studied at the [[University of Córdoba]]. He belonged to the Banu Zuhr family, which produced five generations of [[physician]]s, including two female physicians who served the [[Almohad]] ruler [[Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur]].<ref>[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/islamic_medical/islamic_13.html The Art as a Profession], [[United States National Library of Medicine]]</ref> Ibn Zuhr was also the teacher of [[Averroes]]. He began his medical practice and training under his father, Abu l-Ala Zuhr(''d 1131'').<ref name=dictionary>Bynum, WF & Bynum, Helen (2006) Dictionary of Medical Biography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-31-332877-3.</ref> ==Flight from Seville== Around 1130, he fell out of favour of with the [[Almoravid|Almoravid ruler]], Ali bin Yusuf bin Tashufin, and fled from Seville. He was however, apprehended and jailed in [[Marrakesh]]. Later in 1147 when the [[Almohad dynasty]] conquered that Seville, he returned and devoted himself to medical practice and teaching.<ref name=dictionary/> He died at Seville in 1161. ==Acheivements== He is considered as the father of [[experiment]]al [[surgery]],<ref name=Rabie2006/> for introducing the [[Scientific method|experimental method]] into surgery,<ref name=Rabie2005/> introducing the methods of human [[dissection]] and [[autopsy]],<ref name=Hutchinson/> inventing the surgical procedure of [[tracheotomy]],<ref name=Makki/> performing the first [[parenteral]] nutrition of humans with a silver needle, discovering the cause of [[scabies]] and [[inflammation]], discovering the existence of [[parasites]], and refuting the theory of [[Humorism|four humours]]. ===''Al-Taisir''=== Ibn Zuhr's most famous work is his ''Al-Taisir'', in which he introduced the [[scientific method|experimental method]] into [[surgery]],<ref name=Rabie2005>Rabie E. Abdel-Halim (2005), "Contributions of Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) to the progress of surgery: A study and translations from his book Al-Taisir", ''Saudi Medical Journal 2005; Vol. 26 (9): 1333-1339''.</ref> for which he is considered the father of [[experiment]]al surgery.<ref name=Rabie2006>Rabie E. Abdel-Halim (2006), "Contributions of Muhadhdhab Al-Deen Al-Baghdadi to the progress of medicine and urology", ''Saudi Medical Journal'' '''27''' (11): 1631-1641.</ref> He was the first to employ [[animal testing]] in order to experiment with surgical procedures before applying them to human patients.<ref name=Rabie2005/> He also performed the first [[dissection]]s and postmortem [[Autopsy|autopsies]] on humans as well as animals.<ref name=Hutchinson/> He invented the surgical procedure of [[tracheotomy]],<ref name=Makki>A. I. Makki. "Needles & Pins", ''AlShindagah'' '''68''', January-February 2006.</ref> as he was the first to give a correct description of the tracheotomy operation for [[Suffocation|suffocating]] patients.<ref name=Shehata/> He perfected this surgical procedure through his experiments on a [[goat]]. He also performed postmortem autopsies on a [[sheep]] during his [[clinical trial]]s on the treatment of [[ulcer]]ating diseases of the [[lung]]s. He also wrote on the [[prophylaxis]] against [[urinary tract infection]]s and described the importance of [[Dietary Management|dietary management]] in maintaining the prophylaxis.<ref name=Rabie2005/> He established surgery as an independent field of medicine, by introducing a [[training]] course designed specifically for future [[surgeons]], in order that they be qualified before being allowed to perform operations independently, and for defining the roles of a [[general practitioner]] and a surgeon in the treatment of a surgical condition.<ref name=Rabie2005/> ===''The Method of Preparing Medicines and Diet''=== He performed the first [[parenteral]] nutrition of humans with a silver needle, and wrote a book on it entitled ''The Method of Preparing Medicines and Diet''. ===Anatomy and Physiology=== During his [[Biomedical research|medical experiments]] on [[anatomy]] and [[physiology]], Ibn Zuhr was the first physician known to have carried out human [[dissection]] and postmortem [[autopsy]]. He proved that the [[List of skin diseases|skin disease]] [[scabies]] was caused by a [[parasite]], which contradicted the erroneous theory of [[humorism|four humours]] supported by [[Hippocrates]], [[Galen]] and [[Avicenna]]. The removal of the parasite from the patient's body did not involve [[purging]], [[bleeding]] or any other traditional treatments associated with the four humours.<ref name=Hutchinson>[http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Islamic+medicine Islamic medicine], ''[[Hutchinson Encyclopedia]]''.</ref> His works show that he was often highly critical of previous medical authorities, including Avicenna's ''[[The Canon of Medicine]]''.<ref>Nahyan A. G. Fancy (2006), "Pulmonary Transit and Bodily Resurrection: The Interaction of Medicine, Philosophy and Religion in the Works of Ibn al-Nafīs (d. 1288)", ''Electronic Theses and Dissertations'', [[University of Notre Dame]].[http://etd.nd.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-11292006-152615]</ref> He was one of the first physicians to reject the erroneous theory of [[humorism|four humours]], which dates back to Hippocrates and Galen. Avenzoar also confirmed the presence of [[blood]] in the body.<ref name=Shehata>Prof. Dr. Mostafa Shehata, "The Ear, Nose and Throat in Islamic Medicine", ''Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine'', 2003 (1): 2-5 [4].</ref> ===Drug therapy=== Ibn Zuhr (and other Muslim physicians such as [[al-Kindi]], [[Ibn Sahl]], [[Abulcasis]], [[al-Biruni]], [[Avicenna]], [[Averroes]], [[Ibn al-Baitar]], [[Ibn Al-Jazzar]] and [[Ibn al-Nafis]]) developed [[Pharmacology|drug therapy]] and [[Medication|medicinal]] [[drug]]s for the treatment of specific symptoms and diseases. His use of practical experience and careful observation was extensive.<ref name=Ajram/> ===Pharmacopoeia=== Ibn Zuhr wrote an early [[pharmacopoeia]], which later became the first Arabic book to be [[Printing|printed]] with a [[movable type]] in 1491.<ref>M. Krek (1979). "The Enigma of the First Arabic Book Printed from Movable Type", ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies'' '''38''' (3), p. 203-212.</ref> ===Etiology=== Ibn Zuhr was the first to provide a real scientific [[etiology]] for the [[Inflammation|inflammatory diseases]] of the [[ear]], and the first to clearly discuss the causes of [[stridor]].<ref name=Shehata/> He also proved that the skin disease [[scabies]] was caused by a [[parasite]].<ref name=Hutchinson/> ===Neurology and Neuropharmacology=== Ibn Zuhr gave the first accurate descriptions on [[Neurology|neurological]] disorders, including [[meningitis]], intracranial [[thrombophlebitis]], and [[Mediastinal germ cell tumor|mediastinal tumours]], and made contributions to modern [[neuropharmacology]].<ref>Martin-Araguz, A.; Bustamante-Martinez, C.; Fernandez-Armayor, Ajo V.; Moreno-Martinez, J. M. (2002). "Neuroscience in al-Andalus and its influence on medieval scholastic medicine", ''Revista de neurología'' '''34''' (9), p. 877-892.</ref> ===Anesthesiology=== In [[anesthesiology]], modern [[anesthesia]] was developed in [[Al-Andalus|Islamic Spain]] by the Muslim [[anesthesiologist]]s Ibn Zuhr and [[Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi]]. They were the first to utilize oral as well as [[Inhalational anaesthetic|inhalant anesthetics]], and they performed hundreds of surgeries under [[inhalant]] anesthesia with the use of [[narcotic]]-soaked [[sponge]]s which were placed over the face.<ref name=Ajram>Dr. Kasem Ajram (1992). ''Miracle of Islamic Science'', Appendix B. Knowledge House Publishers. ISBN 0911119434.</ref> ==See also== *[[Islamic science]] *[[Islamic medicine]] *[[List of Arab scientists and scholars]] *[[List of Muslim scientists]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * [http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/profile_story.asp?service_id=868 Islam Online] * [http://www.moslem.at/islam/denker.html] * [http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/encyclopedia/article_show/Avenzoar_or_Ibn_Zuhr_10911161_/m0097002.html?&searchtermold=human%20weapon&searchtermold=human%20weapon The History Channel on Ibn Zuhr] {{DEFAULTSORT:Zuhr, Ibn}} [[Category:1091 births]] [[Category:1161 deaths]] [[Category:Arab people]] [[Category:Arab scientists]] [[Category:Arab physicians]] [[Category:Parasitologists]] {{med-bio-stub}} [[ar:ابن زهر]] [[es:Ibn Zuhr]] [[fr:Avenzoar]] [[ms:Abu Marwan Ibn Zuhr]] [[ro:Avenzoar]] [[ru:Ибн Зухр]]