Abul- Hasan al-Tabari: A Review of his Views and Works

Abstract

Abul-Hasan al-Tabari was a 10th century Persian physician born in Tabaristan. He was a creative and innovative physician who avoided emulating treatments without investigating and examining them. Tabari was an encyclopedist and had a holistic view to medicine. Investigation of the views of this great Persian scholar indicated that his scientific and moral characteristics contain: paying adequate attention to philosophy and medical ethics, citing other scholars' works, attention to the necessity of clinical and hospital training, emphasizing indigenous therapy and scientific and responsible treatment with medical faults and discovery of Sarcoptes scabiei. Tabari has written valuable articles on different medical sciences; however, he is especially famous for authoring the al-Mu'alajat al-Buqratiya (Hippocratic Treatments) - an important medical encyclopedia. Several of Al-Tabari's succeeding scholars and physician have referred to the al-Mu'alajat al-Buqratiya in their medical articles. The aim of this study is further introduction of this great physician and assessment of his theories and key works.

Full text

Archives of Iranian Medicine
, Volume 17, Number 4, April 2014 299
)*KDIIDUL01DVHUL0$VJKDULHWDO
Introduction
Abul Hasan Ahmad ibn Muhammad Tabari was a 10th cen-
tury Persian physician born in Toranja of Tabaristan (lo-
cated in northern Iran).1,2 Al%LUnjQL 3,4(973–1048 C.E.)
DQG+DNLP-RUMƗQL5,6 (1042–1137 C.E.) named him Toranji in their
works. He is supposed tp have died between 985-995 C.E.7 Najm
Abadi states that his birth and death were between 916-986 AD.8
For the most part, no detailed biography of Abul-Hasan al-Tabari
is found in history books.9 His biography can be found to some
extent from his treatises, particularly the book al-Mu’alajat al-
Buqratiya.
In his youth, Tabari served al-Baridi (an Abbasid ruler 928–949
&(WRJHWKHUZLWKKLVWHDFKHU$Enj0ƗKLU6KLUƗ]L10 When Baridi
passed away, Tabari served Rukn al-Dawla (a Buyid ruler 932–
976 C.E.).11
Despite learning from teachers like Ibrahim ibn Bakus (a great
physician who taught at ‘Azodi Hospital in Baghdad),12 Tabari
RQO\PHQWLRQ$Enj0ƗKLU6KLUƗ]LDVKLVWHDFKHUZKRPKHUHVSHFW-
ed highly. In fact, it can be said that Tabari’s clinical medicine
educationZDVVSHFL¿FDOO\OHDUQHGIURP$Enj0ƗKLUDrd and 4th
AH century Persian physician, well versed in surgery and treat-
ment of fevers).10
The respect and trust between the teacher and student were mu-
tual, DQG$Enj 0ƗKLURFFDVLRQDOO\ referred to his student Tabari
for a second opinion in treatment and diagnosis of his patients.
Because of the trust DQGUHVSHFW$Enj0ƗKLUKHOGIRUKLVVWXGHQW¶V
medical ability, he referred to Tabari for treatment of his severe
Sal’a (a type of cyst) behind his knee.13 On another occasion, he
sought treatment and care from Tabari for the treatment of his own
eye disease.14 Tabari DOVRWUHDWHG0X¶L]]DO'DZODWKH¿UVWRIWKH
Buyid emirs 945–967).14
Some of Tabari’s succeeding great scholars and physician have
referred to al-Mu’alajat in their medical authorships such as Ibn
$ELDO0DKƗVHQLQDO.D¿)LDO.RKO,11,EQ,EUDKLP6KƗ]OLLQal-
Omdah,11 Najib al-Din Samarqandi in DO$VEƗE Va al-AlƗmƗt,15
7XQHNƗERQLLQTuhfa al-Mu’menin,16DQGµ(PƗGDO'LQ6KLUƗ]LLQ
Bikhe Chini.17
In new references by Hirschberg in 1905, he spoke of Tabari
as an eminent clinician with much medical expertise and novel
thoughts who has not been adequately honored and celebrated for
his contribution to medicine.18
In 1927, Muhammad Rihab translated an important portion of
the seventh article of DO0X¶ƗODMDW on cutaneous diseases, into
German.19
In the chapter of Jarab (a kind of skin disease), Tabari explains
four types of disease including scabiei. He observed small worms
and insects in the seabies' Lesions.13,WZDVWKH¿UVWFOLQLFDOobser-
vation of scabies. Consequently, in 1938, Friedman declared in his
article that Tabari was the true discoverer of Sarcoptes scabiei.20
Recently, George Sarton revealed that it is incorrect to credit the
discovery of Sarcoptes scabiei to Ibn Zuhr (the Spanish physician
1094–1162 C.E.) but that Tabari should be credited for the discov-
ery of this disease, its cause and diagnosis.21
Tabari and his Works
Tabari has authored several valuable books that are reviewed
below:
1- Al-Mu’alajat al-Buqratiya (Hippocratic Treatments)
The book is composed of 10 parts and 474 chapters. It is extant
only in Arabic. Three versions of the book are in Oxford.8 Tabari
achieved prominence and distinction after writing this book. Ibn
abi Osayba’a writes, “The book is among the best and most useful
ones mentioning diseases and their treatments completely and in-
Abstract
Abul-Hasan al-Tabari was a 10th century Persian physician born in Tabaristan. He was a creative and innovative physician who avoided
emulating treatments without investigating and examining them. Tabari was an encyclopedist and had a holistic view to medicine. Investiga-
tion of the YLHZVRIWKLVJUHDW3HUVLDQVFKRODULQGLFDWHGWKDWKLVVFLHQWL¿Fand moral characteristics contain: paying adequate attention to phi-
losophy and medical ethics, citing other scholars’ works, attention to the necessity of clinical and hospital training, emphasizing indigenous
WKHUDS\DQGVFLHQWL¿Fand responsible treatment with medical faults and discovery of Sarcoptes scabiei. Tabari has written valuable articles
on different medical sciences; however, he is especially famous for authoring the al-Mu’alajat al-Buqratiya (Hippocratic Treatments) - an
important medical encyclopedia. Several of Al-Tabari’s succeeding scholars and physician have referred to the al-Mu’alajat al-Buqratiya
in their medical articles. The aim of this study is further introduction of this great physician and assessment of his theories and key works.
Keywords: Al-Mu’alajat al-Buqratiya, clinical training, medical ethics Tabari, Sarcoptes scabiei,
Cite this article as: Ghaffari F, Naseri M, Asghari M, Naseri V. Abul- Hasan al-Tabari: A Review of his Views and Works. Arch Iran Med. 2014; 17(4): 299 – 301.
History of Medicine
Abul- Hasan al-Tabari: A Review of his Views and Works
)DU]DQHK*KDIIDUL3K'1, Mohsen Naseri MD PhD2, Majid Asghari MD PhD3, Vahedeh Naseri MD4
$XWKRUV¶DI¿OLDWLRQV 1School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti Univer-
sity of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2Traditional Medicine, Clinical Trial Re-
search Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. 3Traditional Medicine Research
Center, School of Traditional Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences,
Qom, Iran. 40R¿G+RVSLWDO)DFXOW\RI0HGLFLQH6KDKLG%HKHVKWL8QLYHUVLW\RI
Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
&RUUHVSRQGLQJDXWKRUDQGUHSULQWV Farzaneh Ghaffari PhD, School of Tra-
ditional Medicine; Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Address: No.8, Shams Alley, Valiasr Ave., Tehran, Iran. E-mail: f_ghaffari@
sbmu.ac.ir; ghaffariinfo@gmail.com
Accepted for publication: 26 February 2014

Archives of Iranian Medicine
, Volume 17, Number 4, April 2014
300
$EXO+DVDQDO7DEDUL
cluding many chapters.”22 The book is a guide for physicians and
an aid in diagnosis and treatment of diseases, citing the dialog of
preceding renowned physicians and analyzing their theories, ex-
planations and evaluations, citing his holistic and hospital experi-
ences regarding the treatment, and the various medicinal methods
he used in the different cities where he had traveled, UHÀHFWLQJRQ
his debates. He was able to formulate a balance between theory
and experience in medicine.14
5LVDOD¿=LNUDO4ƗUXUD$ERRNRQXURORJ\
In his time, Tabari found no other book on urology, except two
al-Tafsira and al-Bayan E\ $\njE 5DKDYL $FFRUGLQJ WR Tabari,
since the two had many shortcomings, he was motivated to author
the detailed book DO4ƗUXUD.23
.LWƗEµ$OƗMDO¶$WIƗO7KHERRNRIFKLOGUHQ¶VGLVHDVHV
He had novel views on the specialization of pediatric diseases.
In the introduction of µ$OƗMDO¶$WIƗO, he writes, “I decided to write
in particular about treating children and this is what has not been
done so far completely and technically by any of my ancestors”.
Discusses children’s diseases in detail and sixty terms including
pediatric hematuria, pediatric convulsions, pediatric gastro-intes-
tinal cancer, kidney/bladder stones and much more.24
0DTƗOD¿7LEDO¶$LQ$SDSHURQ2SKWKDOPRORJ\
A copy of Tabari’s text 0DTƗOD¿ Tib al-’Ain exists in Aleppo
library in Syria.7
 .LWƗE DO¶$LQ ¿ DO0X¶ƗODMDW 7KH ERRN RQ 2SKWKDOPRORJ\ WUHDW-
ments)
Tabari has authored an enormous treatise on ophthalmology
alone, declaring, “I have authored a distinct book completely and
exclusively on ophthalmology in which I have mentioned all ocu-
lar diseases including important and unimportant, each for each
temper”. Unfortunately, this book is lost.14
$O.LWƗEDO.DELU7KHFRPSOHWHERRNRQPHGLFLQH
In al-0X¶ƗODMDW Tabari declares that he has written the book after
his DO.LWƗEDO.DELU.14
$O4DUDEƗGƯQ7KHERRNRQSKDUPDFHXWLFV
7KLV ERRN LV VSHFL¿F WR SKDUPDFHXWLFV and compound medi-
cines, which is lost unfortunately, and only some portions cited in
DO0X¶ƗODMDWare available.14
.LWƗEDO)DVG7KHERRNRQSKOHERWRP\
Phlebotomy is one of the methods used in treating diseases in
Iranian traditional medicine alongside the major therapeutic tech-
niques like food-therapy2EVHUYLQJ-RUMƗQSK\VLFLDQV¶LQDFFXUDWH
method and their phlebotomies which they carry out without any
understanding and knowledge, Tabari was moved to author an ex-
clusive paper as.LWƗEDO)DVG.25
Tabari’s Views on the Development of Medical Science
7KH1HFHVVLW\RI/HDUQLQJ3KLORVRSK\IRU8QGHUVWDQGLQJ0HGLFLQH
Although Tabari does not have a separate book on philosophy,
heH[SDQGVRQWKLVVXEMHFWLQ¿IW\FKDSWHUVWKHWRSLFRI which is
the physician’s familiarity with philosophy. Tabari believed that a
selective knowledge of philosophy is necessary for a physician to
grasp medical discussions accurately.14
([WHQVLYH6WXGLHVDQG5HIHUULQJWRRWKHU6FKRODUV¶:RUNV
Tabari referred to many books and scholars and explained their
theories with an approving or criticizing trend, such as Jurjis [the
chief of Gondishapur Hospital (death 765 C.E.)], Hunayn ibn
,VKƗTD famous physician, and scientist 809–873 C.E.), and Di-
oscoridus (a Roman physician pharmacologist and botanist 40-90
C.E.) and a number of books like al-’Ain E\ƖPHGL3ODWR¶VERRN
al-Kayy, Rofs’ book al-Fasd, Hippocrates’s book Epidemia, abu
0ƗKLU¶V7DGELUDO0XVD¿U 13, 14and Galen’s book ¿(OPDO$NKOƗT
(which is lost, though fortunately some parts of it have been main-
tained in al-0X¶ƗODMDW)14. In 1956, Stern extracted those parts from
al-0X¶ƗODMDW and printed them in a distinct book 26.
7KH1HFHVVLW\RI&OLQLFDODQG+RVSLWDO7UDLQLQJ
Al-Tabari has conducted clinical trials with his teacher $Enj
0ƗKLU Shirazi at Basra Hospital and gained extensive clinical
experiences.13,14 In Al-Mu’alajat Tabari writes: “I frequently ob-
served that $Enj0ƗKLUWUHDWHGOLNHWKLVDERXWWKHVRDQGVRdisease
RUWUHDWHGWKHDLOPHQWVWKDWDUHGLDJQRVHGGLI¿FXOWO\ by others.”14
He believed that a good physician must be a resident of the hos-
pital, where patients come for treatment, and pursue their needs
and conditions closely with a well-grounded professional, in their
medical affairs and the physician must remember the subjects that
he has studied before regarding these conditions and then his treat-
ments will be right and useful for the patients.
6FLHQWL¿FDQG5HVSRQVLEOH7UHDWPHQWZLWK&ROOHDJXHVDQG3K\VL-
FLDQV¶3HUIRUPDQFHV
Periodically, Tabari studied other physicians’ views and theories
and criticized them.27 Sometimes, he rebuked his ignorant and
non-expert contemporaries, yet approved and appreciated the pro-
¿FLHQWRQHVVXFK DV DZRPDQSK\VLFLDQIURP5ƗPKRUPR])city
in southern Iran) named Bint Israel – who had collaborated with
Tabari and completed the Mu’izz al-Daula treatment. Tabari had
debates with Bint Israel and acknowledged her experience and
sills in treatment.14 He also criticizes the physicians and people
who misdiagnosis their patients; for example, he implies that a
physician’s misdiagnosis of different kinds of LQÀDPPDWLRQVDQG
ordering inappropriate prescriptions may lead to the patient’s
death. Also, in this same regard, he spoke of a pregnant woman
who suffered from headaches, was misdiagnosed by her physi-
cian, and consequently aborted her baby, was complicated with a
stroke and died.14
5- Emphasizing Native Medications
Despite having adequate knowledge and understanding of treat-
ments methods of other renowned physicians, he was also inter-
ested in the conventional native holistic treatments and the appli-
cation of people’s experiences after ensuring their validity through
clinical experiences. Tabari refers to many cases regarding this
matter in his book.14
Tabari and his Innovations
Tabari was a creative and innovative physician and avoided imi-
tating his colleague’s treatments without examination and explo-
ration. For example, he criticizes past physicians’ diagnosis of the
diseases Bahaq (a kind of skin disease) and Baras (Vitiligo) and

Archives of Iranian Medicine
, Volume 17, Number 4, April 2014 301
)*KDIIDUL01DVHUL0$VJKDULHWDO
explains that physicians in the past made no distinction between
the treatment of these two diseases and medicated them in the
same way.14
,Q )UHLGPDQDI¿UPHGLQ an article that Tabari is the true
discoverer of scabies7DEDULZDVWKH¿UVWWRUHFRJQL]HWKHLQVHFW
in the lesions and to discover the effective medicines, prior to the
discovery recorded by two Italian scholars Bonomo and Cestoni
in 1687.17
Tabari’s additional research and innovations were ocular treat-
ments. Abul Hasan had been highly skillful in treating ocular dis-
eases and he devoted the fourth article of 0X¶ƗODMDW “on ocular
GLVHDVHVDQGWKHLUFDWHJRULHV EHQH¿WV FUHDWLRQ DQG treatments”
to these problems in 54 chapters. In this part of his text, he de-
scribes two types of Ramad (Conjunctivitis), none of which has
been mentioned by his preceding physicians. Additionally, re-
garding a number of physicians’ misdiagnosis and carelessness in
their distinctive diagnosis, he states, “some physicians have mis-
takenly considered the eye ache from food not reaching the retina,
vitreous humor, and lens as a type of brain disease.”14
Tabari and Medical Ethics
Tabari made extensive studies on vocational morality and medi-
cal morality. In chapter 35 of WKH¿UVWDUWLFOH RIDO0X¶ƗODMDWKH
begins with, “Principles with which a physician is required to
comply in religion, morality, courtesy etc.” There are approxi-
mately ninety moral points on the interaction between the physi-
cian and patient mentioned in this chapter.25
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