Title

Unani MedicineDefinition of Ilm Tibb (Unani System of Medicine)

It is the knowledge, which governs the human health or diseases. This branch of knowledge belongs to both Science and Art. If a person is healthy, he/she should try to maintain it, and if one’s health is not in a good condition, it should be treated and improved.

Branches of Ilm Tibb (Unani System of Medicine)

Widely speaking, Tibb may be divided into two main branches. The first one ‘Basic Medicine’ which consists of anatomy, biochemistry, physiology like primary subjects. These subjects do not deal directly or practically with the patient or disease; rather they provide and supply a base for practical practice. The second branch is ‘Clinical Medicine’ which is also known as Nifazi Tibb. In clinical medicine, medical practitioners examine patients in order to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. The key subjects which it covers are medical treatment, surgery, pharmacology and masteria medicawhich are the base of Tibb and are directly related to medical treatment and remedy.

Unani Medicine

The Unani Medicine is an ancient method of treatment which was first introduced in Greece. It became popular in Arabia and now it is prevalent and popular in the sub-continent. In fact, the word Unani is the Arabicised form of Ionian which means Greek or Greece. It is also known as Hikmat (wisdom) and Unani Medicine as well. In India and Pakistan, this Unani system of treatment is also known as Desi way of treatment.

History of Tibb / Medicine

The history of Unani medicine traces back its origin to the 377 to 460 BC, when a Philosopher Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, wrote his thesis and treatise and his doctrine gave a strong and central place to the principles on which Unani Medicine stands. However, it is difficult to finally decide whether Hippocrates was the father of medicine or not. As it is against the logic that all of a sudden someone came and established or laid the foundation of all the sciences and that too without a teacher. The evidences show and the history bears it witness that Hippocrates studied and gained from the ancient civilization of Egypt and Mesopotamia and from the medical concepts and researches which were prevalent there.

According to one opinion, the civilization which thrived in Mesopotamia is deemed to be one of the most ancient civilizations of the world. It would be justified to say about Hippocrates that he developed and included lots of experiments and information, new thoughts, concepts and reformed the already available sciences and brought it to new heights and provided base for research and development. Later on, Galen modified and shaped the ancient Greek theory and ideology into a new form and height and tried to understand it practically. For example, he made experiments on the animals and presented his own theory and ideology about the kidney, nerves, blood circulation in the heart and paved a clear track for the physicians to come.

Medical Services of the Arab Physicians

Later on when the Arabs started practicing the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) and stepped in the field of sciences and art, they not only adopted the ancient Unani medicine rather they conducted thorough researches and experiments in it and developed and refined through systematic experiments and brought it to a new height according to their understanding and findings. They developed it so much so that the era of the Muslim rulers began to be called the golden age of medicine and sciences. New educational institutions were established in Samarqand, Isfahan, Damascus, and Granada etc. and thus they led towards the establishment of universities in today’s world. Students from far off places began to head towards it to achieve the knowledge of medicine. Initially, the syllabus contained those Greek books which were translated into Arabic language. But later on, the Muslim physicians and men of letters laid the foundation stone of medical sciences on the pattern of Eastern line and authored new books on medical sciences which not only persevered the Unani Tibb; rather its compilation, development and process reached to the pinnacle of its glory. The scientific dominance of the Arabs continued from the 8th to 12th Century in the whole world. They added and developed a lot in the field of diagnosis, surgery, surgical operation, phlebotomy, cupping as well as the properties, peculiarities of medicines and its usage etc.

Some Ancient Doctors and Physicians

The credit of discovering and inventing blood circulation findings goes to an Arab Physician Ibn Nafis. William Harvey presented it 600 years after him. Razi (Rhazes) gave the vaccination of chickenpox and the concept of bad smell or fetidness in the diseases. The credit of hospital construction, healthy places and names of medicines on them and expiry date also goes to Razi. In short, there have been a large number of genius and prominent physicians who will always be remembered for their remarkable services and splendid achievement in the field of medicine. They are as follows: Ali Ibn Rabban al-Tabari, Al-Himyary, Al-Asmaee, Al-Jahiz, Ahmad bin Wahshiya, Abul Qasim Al-Zahrawi, Yahya Ibn Batriq, Harith IbnKaldah, Thaqafi, Abu Hafsa Yazid, Bakhtishu’,Ibn Abi Ramsha, Rafiah al-Aslamia, Ibn Athal, Ibn al-Rahbi, Jafar Sadiq, Ibrahim al-Fazari, Ibn al-Hasib, Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim, Gabriel Ibn al-Bakhshishu’, Jabir ibn Hayyan, Hunain Ibn Ishaq, Yahya Ibn Sarafiyun, al-Kindi, Ibn Farnas, Ibn Maswiyah, Shapur Ibn Sahl Jandishapuri, Ali Ibn Sahl Ban Tabri, Ishaq Ibn Ali al-Rabawi, Yuhanna Ibn Bakhtishu, Qusta Ibn Luqa al-Ba’lbaki, Abul Ala Shirazi, Abul Hasan al-Tabari, Hussain Ibn Ibrahim al-Tabari al-Natbali, Abu Mansur Hasan Ibn Nuh al-Qamri, Abu Zaid Ibn Sahl Balkhi, Ishaq Israili Ibn Salman (Jew), Ali Ibn Abbas (Magus), Abu Sahl Isa Ibn Yahah al-Masi’i, Mawafiq, Muhammad Ibn Zakaria al-Razi, Ibn Juljul, al-Zahrawi, Ibn al-Jazzar, al-Sakri, Ibn Abi al-Ashʿath, Ibn al-Batriq, Ibrahim Ibn Bax, Abu Ubaid Juzjani, Ibn al-Haitham, Ali Ibn Rizwan, Shaikh al-Rais Bu Ali Seena, Afrahim Ibn al-Zafran (Jew), Ibn al-Wafid, Abdullah Ibn al-Bakhtishu’, Ibn Batlan, Ibn al-Katani, Ibn al-Jazlah, Maswia al-Mardani, Yusuf al-Alaqi, Muhammad Azdi (Thabi), Ibn Abi Sadiq, Ali Ibn Isa al-Kuhl, Ibn Ali al-Bayan, Ahmad Ibn Farrukh, IbnHubal, Zainuddin Gurjany, Musa Ibn Maimun, Sarafiyun, Ibn Zohra, Yaqub Ibn Ishaque Israeli, Abu Jafar Ibn Harun, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Tufail, Aslam al-Ghafiqi, Ibn al-Hakam, Abu al-Barakat al-Baghdadi, Al-Samawʾal ibn Yahyā al-Maghribī, Amīn al-Dawla Abu'l-hasan Hibat Allāh ibn Saʿīd ibn al-Tilmīdh, Habatullah Ibn Jamee’, ibn al-Tilmīdh, Sa’d al-Dawlah Ibn Habatullah, Shamsuddin Shaharzori, Rashiduddin Suwari, Aminuddin Rashid, Ibrahim Ibn Musa Ibn Maimun (Jew), Dawood Abul Fadi (Jew), al-Dakhwar, Ibn Abī Usaybiʿa Muʾaffaq al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad Ibn Al-Qāsim Ibn Khalīfa al-Khazrajī, Joseph Ibn Juda (Jew), Abdul Latif al-Baghdadi, Ibn al-Nafis, Zakaria Qazwini, Najibuddin Samarqandi, Qutbuddin Shirazi, Ibn al-Qaf al-Karki, Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Asli, al-Naquri, al-Aqsarai, Zainul Attar, Mansur Ibn Ilyas, Jaghmini, Masood Ibn Muhammad Sajzi, Najmuddin Muhammad Ibn Ilyas Al-Shirazi, Nakhshabi, Sadiduddin al-Kazruni, Yusuf Ibn Ismail al-Qutbi, Ibn al-Khatib, Rashiduddin Hamdani, Abu Sayyid al-Afif, Abul Nasr al-Farabi, Muhammad Ali Ustrabadi, Hussaini Isfahani, Burhanuddin Kirmani, Sharfuddin Sabunji Oghli, Muhammad Ibn Yusuf al-Harawi, Nur Bakhshi, Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Abi Talib, Hakim al-Gilani, Abdul Qasim Ibn Muhammad al-Ghassani, Taqiuddin Muhammad Ibn Maruf, Dawood El Antaky and Abul Qasim Ammar al-Mosuli etc.

Books on Medicines

During these periods, they made new experiments in the field of medicine and worked hard to develop it and consequently they wrote and authored treatises and dissertations on various medical topics. Here are some famous books of that era: “Al-Qanun, by Ibn Sina, al-Hawi, by Razi, al-Kamil al-Sana’h, by Majusi, al-Tasrif by Zahrawi, Firdaus al-Hikmat by Ali Ibn Rabban al-Tabari and some others such as Kinas Fit Tibb, al-Qanun Fit Tibb, Ilm Istikhwan Fil Arab, Kitab al-Shifa, Kitab al-Ushr Maqalat Fil Ain, Risalah Fi Qadr Manfa’ihi Sana’tut Tibb, Kitab al-Tasrif, Zakhirah Khawarzam Shahi, Adab al-Tabib, al-Tibb al-Nabawi Lil Syuti, al-Tibb al-Nabawi, al-Kulliyat Fi al-Tibb, al-Kitab al-Muntakhab Fi Ilaj al-Ain, al-Mansuri, Kitab al-Amal Bil Hadid, Maqalah Fil Hisna Fi al-Kulli Wal al-Masana etc.” These are unique and incomparable books which later were translated into Western languages. These books were taught in Western universities and colleges and remained a part of their syllabus up to 17th Century. It is noteworthy that the ancient medical books play an important role and contribute a lot in preparing books on medicine even in today’s time.