Averroes: biography of the father of current Medicine

Abu Walid Muhammad ibn Rusd, better known as Averroes In the Western world, he was a Spanish-Arabic philosopher, thinker, doctor and jurist who is considered one of the most important both for the Muslim world and for Europe, since he translated hundreds of Aristotle's works and never ceased in his studies and reflections.

Next we will give a brief review of Averroes' biography, with the main events of his life and work.

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Short biography of Averroes

Born in Córdoba when it was under Islamic rule (1126 - 1198), Averroes came from a family of legal intellectuals, whose specialty was consulting. His father, Abu Al Qasim Ahmad, was a qadi of Córdoba at the time of Al-Andalus, a period in which the Muslims dominated Hispania during the Middle Ages for around 800 years.

The thought of Averroes as a philosopher

Following the family tradition, Averroes finished his studies in law, specialized and deepened in the interpretation of laws, its reasons for being and its objectives. From a very young age he stood out in his approach to jurisprudence. His fame reached her with his two great works:

Starting point of the supreme jurist and The arrival of the average lawyer.

This Muslim philosopher was called known as "the commentator", "the consultant" by the West, and it is that his main achievements result from three works called Aristotle's Commentaries, divided into three parts with the Major Commentary, the Middle Commentary and the Minor Commentary, being in this order from most to least in terms of analytical extension.

Science and religion, in convergence

Contrary to what can be imagined about how religion can influence the empirical field, Averroes he wanted to mix theology with philosophy. To begin with, instead of confronting the three monotheistic religions, he rather recognized the importance of all three.

For Averroes, the sacred books of the Torah, the Bible and the Koran have the same background and objective, which is to give a logical explanation to the existence of life. On the other hand, aware of the controversy that exists when interpreting the writings, he came to assert that only specialist philosophers and thinkers should be authorized to decode the Qur'an.

Likewise, the Hispano-Arabic philosopher related both types of knowledge, pointing out that they were essential to each other in order to understand the meaning of life. Justifies divine existence (supreme God) to give order, coherence and stability to the world of the psyche; that world of the human mind that is that of the senses and the imagination, therefore non-objective, according to Averroes.

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Work and transcendence

Despite all his influences on a philosophical-legal level, Averroes' most outstanding and laureate work has to do with medicine. And it is that as a doctor, the author wrote Kulliyat, scientific book that spoke of the generalities of medicine. Many criticized his contribution to science, but the Qur'an itself advocates "seeking science from the cradle to the grave."

The profession of a doctor at that time was one of the most recognized achievements for a wise man.. An exam of high intellectual difficulty had to be passed under the knowledge of Hippocrates, as well as his oath. In addition, what extols the figure of Averroes as a doctor is that to practice as such, not only technical knowledge and skills were required. Morality, ethics and a sense of justice had to be demonstrated.

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“Al-Kulliyat”, genesis of modern Medicine

The book Al-Kulliyat, general information on Medicine, written in seven astonishing volumes, was written based on the idea that, as Averroes would say: “the visible can make the invisible glimpse”. In this way, Ibn Rushd once again surprised his contemporaries, avoiding preconceptions and intuitions in his scientific studies.

For Averroes, Medicine was an art., and the doctor the brush to carry out. A specialty that had as its objective the conservation of health and the cure of their diseases. Based on three fundamental pillars (principles, elements and their causes), the Al-Kulliyat doctrine is presented as follows:

Volume 1. Anatomy

Knowledge of the parts of the human body, describing the parts that can be perceived.

Volume 2. Physiology

It deals with the organic and mechanical functioning of the human body of each of the components that form it. This describes what is known today as the "state of health"

Volume 3. Pathologies

Description and explanation of the causes of diseases.

Volume 4. Semiotics

Study and analysis of symptoms and syndromes

Volume 5. Therapy

The healing technique, providing dietary recipes and natural drugs.

Volume 6. Hygiene

Recommendations and guide of hygienic techniques for the maintenance of health.

Volume 7. Medication

Comprehensive description of the different medicines and solutions for all kinds of diseases.