If you ask any person who has even a little contact with medicine, with whom the development of this field of knowledge as an independent science began, then everyone will name one name - Avicenna. The quotes of this philosopher amaze us with their depth and are still relevant today. His lines of fate could be enough for several full lives. The directions of his research concerned a variety of areas: from bacteria invisible to the eye, which Louis Pasteur would announce only 800 years later, to space. Today we will try to comprehend the true wisdom that has survived the ages.
Inquisitive Mind
The boy was named Abu Ali Hussain ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina. "Ibn Sina Avicenna" he will be called later, and under this name he will be known in the West. And in the year 980 and on the day of August 16, a son was born in the family of a tax collector and his wife with the beautiful name Sitara, meaning "Star". His parents and conceivecould not that this kid would become a world-famous doctor and also a vizier at the court of one of the emirs. But that will be almost 25 years from now…
From the moment Abu Ali spoke, he asked so many questions that the parents realized that the son must be sent to study so that the teachers puzzled over the answers. And after the boy memorized the Holy Book "Koran", his path was predetermined: he became a student of the school where Muslim laws were studied. The youngest, Avicenna quickly achieved impressive success, and the 12-year-old was turned to for advice by high school students.
Life in Bukhara
Ibn Sina was born in the small village of Afshan. There he began to attend a regular school. Then the family moved to Bukhara, and this significantly influenced the development of the boy, since in this city there were many more opportunities to learn something new than anywhere else.
The richest library in the world was located in the Emir's palace and many people known for their scholarship came to touch the ancient knowledge, such as, for example, Abu Abdallah Natili. He possessed great knowledge in philosophy and logic, geometry and astronomy, and it was under his guidance that Avicenna comprehended these sciences. He has a great many quotes on the importance of knowledge:
They say about wisdom: it is priceless, but the world does not pay a penny for it.
The fact that Ibn Sina went his own way from a young age and on this path he had to face opposition more than once is evidenced byoutput like this:
If you chose the path to the cherished truth from a young age, do not argue with the ignorant, forget their advice.
Searching for Truth on Your Own
By the age of 14, the young man realized that Abu Abdallah Natili had given him all the knowledge he possessed. From this age, Ibn Sina began to independently comprehend science: he was well versed in geometry and astronomy, and humanitarian areas (music, poetry) were easy for him. So he came to the "Metaphysics" of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Repeated re-reading did not help the understanding of the ideas set forth in this fundamental work. Only after studying the interpretations of Al-Farabi did a "breakthrough" and awareness of the patterns of development of the world take place.
Exploring the well-known facts of the biography of Ibn Sina, we can say that his mind sought to comprehend all areas of knowledge available to him, in order, starting from them, to create the science of the future. And Avicenna's quotes about the search for truth speak for themselves:
The soul of the universe is the truth.
And the scientist also understood the danger of stupidity not only for its "owner", but also for others:
As clear light is hidden from the blind, so there is no road to the truth for fools.
20 years by today's standards is still youth. But at this age, Ibn Sina was a famous scientist. His authority is evidenced by the fact that, being a sixteen-year-old boy, he was invited to the Emir of Bukhara to determine the diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
And before that, there was painstaking work to collect information about diseases and its analytical study. In addition, as a doctor, Avicenna not only prescribed treatment based on already established methods, but also conducted detailed observations of all manifestations of the disease, as well as the slightest deviations in the behavior and mood of the patient, in order to make the description of the disease voluminous and multidimensional. He was convinced that any illness could be cured with the right knowledge:
There are no hopeless patients. There are only hopeless doctors.
Sunny period of life
Avicenna was a truly whole person. His life was consciously devoted to science from the age of 18. Gradually, his works on medicine, philosophy, and astronomy began to be published.
The enlightened ruler of Khorezm Shah Mamun II invited him to his service. This was a great success, since progressive rulers did not meet often in those days. Mamun II sought to gather in his palace the best representatives of the scientific world, poets, musicians and philosophers. In addition, he was generous and considered the free development of science and art the paramount task of a statesman.
Start of wandering
The fame of the enlightened court of Mamun II spread far beyond Khorezm and reached the ears of Sultan Mahmud Gaznevi. And he wanted the whole color of the scientific world to come to him from Bukhara, about which the Khorezm Shah was informed. Mamun II understood the consequences of such an invitation and invited all who wished to avoid the "honor" to serve at the court of Sultan Mahmud,take camels and everything you need for the trip and leave Bukhara.
Avicenna's quotes about friendship and rulers give an idea of the difficult period of his life:
If my friend is friends with my enemy, then I should not hang out with this friend. Beware of the sugar that is mixed with poison, beware of the fly that sat on the dead snake.
Truly miraculous deeds: mindless bodies ascend, they were endowed with dullness by nature, and tribal nobility ex alted.
In the name of science, in the name of humanity
Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina devoted his life to serving science and people. It was not an easy way - it was more like a roller coaster: a steep descent, then a sharp rise, etc. It is difficult to say how the scientist was able to create so many works in completely different areas: 450 treatises of which 176 were lost in a fire. Some of these developments were further developed only centuries later.
The famous five-volume "Canon of Medicine" went through 30 editions in Latin.
The grave of a scientist who lived only 57 years old is located in Hamadan. Avicenna's he alth quotes contain both advice and warnings. They are still relevant today:
- Tell a sick person that your stomach hurts - a he althy person will not understand.
- Who did not appreciate happiness, he is nearing misfortune.
- The less often a hand raises a drinking cup of wine, the stronger in battle and braver, and more skillful in businessshe.
- Be moderate in food - here is one commandment, the second commandment: drink less wine.
- The worst food is the one that burdens the stomach, and the worst drink is when it goes beyond moderation and fills the stomach to the brim…
- If too much was eaten, then the next day you need to stay hungry…
- The worst thing is mixing up a variety of foods and eating too long…
- The harm caused by a very tasty meal is that you can eat too much of it…
- Better to overdrink than overeat…
The last of all Avicenna's quotes and aphorisms was a phrase uttered in the last moments of his life:
We die fully conscious and take only one thing with us: the knowledge that we have learned nothing.
Many countries are arguing today about which of them has the honor to be considered the birthplace of the great scientist. Perhaps if Ibn Sina could speak for himself today, he would say that he belongs to the whole world.
