AVICENNA'S HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENDOCRINOLOGY

Аннотация

This paper examines the contribution of Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna) to the development of endocrinology. Despite the lack of knowledge of hormones and endocrine glands in the modern sense in his era, his clinical observations and descriptions of pathological conditions associated with metabolic disorders anticipated many fundamental discoveries. In the Canon of Medicine, Avicenna described diabetes mellitus, its symptoms and treatment methods in detail, and also studied thyroid diseases, in particular endemic goiter. In addition, he noted the influence of mental factors on physiological processes, which corresponds to modern concepts of psychoendocrinology . The work emphasizes the importance of Avicenna's medical heritage in forming the foundations of future endocrinology. Key words: Avicenna, endocrinology, “The Canon of Medicine”, diabetes mellitus, goiter, metabolism, psychoendocrinology , history of medicine, hormonal regulation, medieval medicine. Abu Ali ibn Sina, known in Europe as Avicenna (980–1037), was one of the greatest physicians and philosophers of the medieval East. His work, The Canon of Medicine ( Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb ) served as the basis of medical education for centuries and had a significant impact on the development of medicine, including endocrinology. Although endocrinology as a science did not exist in Avicenna's time, his observations and descriptions of various diseases associated with dysfunction of the endocrine glands laid the foundation for further study of this field. Avicenna's Main Achievements in Endocrinology 1. Description of clinical manifestations of diabetes. Avicenna was one of the first to describe in detail "sugar disease" ( diabetes mellitus ), calling it "honey urine" because of the characteristic sweet taste of urine. He noted symptoms such as copious urination (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), emaciation and weakness . Avicenna also suggested a connection between this disease and metabolic disorders and dysfunction of internal organs, which later turned out to be true. 2. Attempts to treat diabetes. Unlike ancient doctors who viewed diabetes as a kidney disease, Avicenna suggested that its development was associated with 70 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference more complex processes in the body. He proposed diet therapy, herbal medicine, and exercise as treatment methods, which in many ways anticipated modern approaches to non-drug diabetes therapy. 3. Study of thyroid diseases. In his works, Avicenna described goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) , associating it with the geographical features of regions and the quality of drinking water. He suggested that this disease is more common in certain areas, which can be considered an early observation of endemic goiter. It was later proven that goiter actually develops due to iodine deficiency in the body. 4. Hormonal aspects of growth and development. Avicenna's writings contain descriptions of age-related changes in the body, including puberty, changes in body weight, and aging . He suggested that the body's internal processes are regulated not only by external factors (such as nutrition), but also by certain "internal forces , " which can be seen as an early guess about the existence of endocrine regulatory mechanisms. 5. Consideration of psychoendocrine relationships . Avicenna paid attention to the influence of emotions and mental state on physiological processes . He assumed that strong experiences can lead to physical changes, which corresponds to modern ideas about psychoendocrinology , where stress and emotional factors affect hormone levels (for example, cortisol).