Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

Abstract

Vast terminological changes have been made to the word “Qulanj” (Colic) during the long history of medicine. For centuries, it has been defined as a disease with stomachache and stoppage of digestive waists’ elimination and defecation from the intestines; but today these are named as, different types of abdominal pains including, hernia and different kinds of abdominal edema as well as colitis and intestinal obstruction or volvulus. This article is trying to study and analyze the “colic” briefly, in the eyes of Razi & Poor-Sina (Avicenna) and to report their agreements and disagreements delicately. Thus, when these two books are considered carefully, the first question that comes to one’s mind is undoubtedly: “How the intellectuals of Iran medicine could have laid the basis of clinical diagnosis of the “colic” such powerfully that can still keep its value and position safe in today’s world of medicine? Different causes of the "colic appearance" are frequently restated in these texts. Avicenna talked about more than 80 different reasons lead finally to the “colic”. In addition to introducing the signs of this disease, Avicenna talked about the differential diagnosis of the colic in kidney stone or pain, bladder stone, gallstones, biliary pain and peptic ulcers. Each of them categorizes various types of the “colic” into several but similar groups, all of which are really surprising for they have been living more than 1000 years before us. In conclusion, they explain about treatments using the single or combined drugs and explicate the ways to prevent the colic to be appeared.