Avicenna (jan 1, 973 – jan 1, 1037)

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Avicenna was an 11th-century Persian-Arabic physician and philosopher, who was one of the most influential figures in the Islamic Golden Age. Perhaps his most important contribution to the history of medicine was the encyclopedia The Canon of Medicine. In this encyclopedia, he organized the previous medical work of Hippocrates, Galen, and others into one coherent synthesis, providing a comprehensive description of health, disease, and therapeutics. The foundation of his principles stems from his belief in the four elements and four humors.

In terms of his impact on Western medicine, Avicenna was an integral part of the Arab-Islamic transit of medical knowledge. The original works of Galen and Hippocrates were preserved and translated into Arabic. Starting in the 11th century, Westerners began to translate this work into Latin which set the stage for the following centuries of scholastic medicine in Europe. In medieval times, The Canon of Medicine would go on to become a standard textbook at universities.

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