AVICENNA - HISTORY'S PRODIGY

Аннотация

The earliest of the manuscripts available in the world, "Kitab al-Qanun fi-t-tibb" ("Canon of Medicine"), by the great Abu Ali ibn Sina (980-1037), dating back to the 12th century, is kept in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. This major work has been the most complete encyclopedia of medicine for a millennium. As early as in the 12th century, it was translated in Europe from Arabic into Latin by the Italian Gerard of Cremona (1114-1187) and then disseminated in many manuscripts. "The Canon of Medicine," Avicenna began writing when he was twenty years old and completed this work in 1020-at the age of forty, when Avicenna's medical and life experience was vast. This article is just an attempt to lift the veil over the mystery of the genius' formation, and how this priceless folio, created in the ancient Uzbek land, came to St. Petersburg. KEYWORDS: - Manuscript, capital work, encyclopedia, Koran, medicine, collection, mystery, folio, genius, Central Asia, Europe. Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. I NTRODUCTION T HE MAIN RESULTS AND FINDINGS What part of our vast heritage we have already discovered, and what part still keeps its unique The basis of the Institute's Muslim collection is secrets and stories? Handwritten masterpieces the collection of the famous French diplomat and their fates... Jean Baptiste Louis Jacques Rousseau (1780- 1831), who lived for many years in Aleppo and For the author, the study of a unique folio - the Tripoli. The French diplomat had hundreds of most famous book in the history of world handwritten books in his collection. A passionate medicine "Kitab al - Kanun fi - t-tibb" - "The collector and Orientalist, he decided in two Canon of Medicine" by Abu Ali ibn Sina or stages, in 1819 and 1825, to sell seven hundred Avicenna, as he is known in the West, was an manuscripts from his collection to the Imperial absolute exclusivity. The author was lucky to Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. hold the world's earliest manuscript of Among these books was the priceless manuscript Avicenna's "Canon", dating back to the 12th of Avicenna's "Canon of Medicine. Thus, this century, while working in the Muslim collection masterpiece made its way to St. Petersburg. of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 16 ISSN – 2767-472X https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 2(6): 16-19, June 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-06-04 ISSN 2767-472X ©2021 Master Journals Accepted 11th June, 2021 & Published 16thJune, 2021 A few words about the curious pedigree of Jean The Canon of Medicine when he was twenty Baptiste Louis Jacques Rousseau. He was a years old and completed it in 1020 - at the age of nephew of the great philosopher and enlightener forty, when Avicenna's medical and life of France, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and belonged experience was vast. to a family of hereditary diplomats. His "I became addicted to the science of medicine, grandfather, as a goldsmith, worked in the and medical science is not a difficult one, and of Embassy of France in Persia under King Louis course I succeeded in it, in no time at all. Famous XIV of France, and then served for many years as doctors began to come to me for advice... And I a jeweler at the court of Safavid Shah Hussain I was at the time 16 years old"[1]. (1694-1722). Jean Baptiste Louis Rousseau's father was also a diplomat. As consul in Basra These lines are from the biography of Ibn Sina, and Baghdad, it was he who started the which he dictated around 1012 to his disciple collection of manuscripts that were destined to and friend, Abu Ubeid al-Jurjani (d. 1070). It make his son famous. It is not known whether covers the first half of Avicenna's life. The second the Canon of Medicine was purchased by Jean half of the biography of the great healer, Jurjani Baptiste Rousseau himself or by his father. wrote from what he saw in person while staying with him until the end of his days. In the This capital work was the most complete biography dictated by Jurjani, there is one encyclopedia of medicine for a millennium. It curious fact that reveals very authentically the was translated from Arabic into Latin as early as essence of the character of the young genius. the 12th century in Europe by the Italian Gerard of Cremona (1114-1187), and was then So what kind of person was this young man? disseminated in many manuscripts. And when Already at age 10, knew by heart all surahs from the printing press was invented, the Canon the Holy Koran, and by the age of 16 had became one of the first printed books, after the independently studied the works of ancient Bible, and even rivaled it in number of editions. authors. Avicenna brilliantly knew the treatises of Euclid (3rd century BC) and the Almagest of The Latin text was published in the second half of Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century), the Fiqh - the 15th