The Comparison of Avicenna's and Hakim Arzani's Approaches in the Classification and Treatment of Eye Disorders
Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History,
Vol. 17 (1404),
6 May 2025
,
Page 1-14
https://doi.org/10.22037/mhj.v17i.46866
Abstract
Background and Aim: Eye diseases have been of significant interest throughout all historical periods and numerous authoritative books on ophthalmology have been compiled-both as independent works and as parts of other texts. Given that two books, the Canon fi al-Tib by Avicenna (4th-5th centuries AH) and Tib-e Akbari by Hakim Mohammad Arzani (12th AH) remain major references for many specialists in Iranian medicine today; this study compares the classification of eye diseases in these two works.
Methods: This study was conducted using a library review method. In the first step, keywords such as ophthalmology, kohl, kohhali and vision were searched across various manuscripts of the Canon of Medicine and Tib-e Akbari. Subsequently, the databases SID, Magiran and Google Scholar were examined using keywords including Ophthalmology, Eye disorders, Eye diseases, the Canon fi al-Tib and Tib-e Akbari to identify relevant prior studies on the subject.
Ethical Considerations: In this research, honesty and trustworthiness have been observed in using historical sources.
Results: Avicenna emphasized identifying the etiology of diseases and tailored treatments to the specific characteristics of each illness based on its underlying cause. In the third book of The Canon fi al-Tib, he first dedicated an independent section to describing the anatomy of the eye then proceeded to introduce eye diseases. Avicenna systematically categorized diseases by detailing their names, symptoms, treatments and appropriate medications. Strengths of this section include listing Greek synonyms for diseases, introducing ocular comorbidities and addressing principles of eye hygiene. Hakim Mohammad Arzani, in his classification of eye diseases, adopted a more concise and streamlined approach, eliminating non-essential details while presenting ocular pathologies and their treatments. He first addressed internal diseases in ten chapters, followed by external diseases. At the start of each chapter, Arzani provided a brief anatomical overview of the relevant eye structure before elaborating on disease types, their causes and treatments.
Conclusion: This analysis demonstrates that the logical coherence and methodological rigor of Avicenna’s approach to describing the eye and its pathologies were perpetuated in subsequent medical texts, including Tib-e Akbari. However, Tib-e Akbari presents the material in a more summarized and consolidated format, making it more practical for clinical application at the bedside.
- Ophthalmology
- Avicenna
- Hakim Arzani
- Persian medicine
- Tib-Akbari
- Qanun fi al-Tib
How to Cite
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