AV'ICEN'NA (Ann ALI AL HOSSEIN 113N ABDALLA II IBN SINA ) (980-0.1037). A great Ar abic physician and philosopher. He was born at Efsene, a village in the neighborhood of riokhara, in the mouth of Safar, in 950. His father held office under the Samanid ruler. Null ibu Manzur. Avicenna studied medicine and philosophy at Bokhara, and on account of a cure he received a post in court at the early age of seventeen. At his father's death, Avicenna went to Nasa• Tos, Dahistan, Gurgan, Rai, and Hamadan. At this latter place he gained the favor of Shems Addaula and was made vizier; but the opposition of the soldiery compelled him to relinquish this posi tion. Under the successor of Shems Addaula, Taga Addaula, Avicenna \vas imprisioned in a fortress, but he managed to escape and fled to Ispahan. Here he spent the remainder of his days as court physician to Ala Addaula, whom he accompanied even on his military campaigns. Avicenna led a very arduous life. Although he traveled a great deal, he still found time to write. Ile died about 1037.
Avicenna is of importance, not only in the his tory of Arabic medicine and philosophy. but also
in that of European philosophy. I-Hs great work, Kamm fi'l Tibb, a system of medicine, based on the Arabic translations of the Greek medical works, long held first place both in the Orient and Occident as a text-hook in medicine. In the Orient it is still very highly regarded. The work is characterized by systematic classification, sometimes even running to excess. The Arabic text was published in 1593, at Rome, and again at Bulak. A Latin translation by Cremonensis appeared in Venice in 1595. In philosophy Avi cenna teaches Aristotelianism, tinged. however, with Neo-Platonic ideas. He tries to reconcile philosophy and religion, a practice which is often met with in the later Arabic and Jewish philosophers. His metaphysics appeared in a Latin translation in 1493; his logic in 1495, Venice; 1556, 'Basle. For an extended bibli ography consult 13rockelmaun, Gesehichte der arabischen Litteratur (Weimar, 1899) ; Carra de Vaux, A riccnac (Paris, 1900).