A Historical Overview of the Neurological Disorders Associated With Gastrointestinal Ailments From the Viewpoint of Avicenna; [Povijesni Pregled Neuroloskih Poremecaja Povezanih S Gastrointestinalnim Bolestima S Avicennina Stajalista] Publisher Pubmed



Dadmehr M^{1, 2} ; Seif F^{3, 4} ; Bahrami M⁵ ; Aminibehbahni F⁵ ; Zangi BM⁶ ; Tavakol C⁷
Source: AMHA - Acta Medico-Historica Adriatica Published:2023

Abstract

Reviewing historical medical manuscripts shows that neurological disorders have been pre-viously described in the Islamic Golden Age. Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna (980-1037 AD), was one of the most renowned scientists during this period. He widely practiced medi-cine, especially those disorders related to neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry in conven-tional medicine. In his extant book al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (the Canon of Medicine), he claimed that some types of brain diseases can be related to the “maraqq” and called them maraqq-re-lated disorders. From Avicenna’s viewpoint, “maraqq” is considered a membranous stru-cture in the abdomen. Ibn Sina has illustrated the association between the “maraqq” and the brain through some direct and indirect pathways. As a result, some disturbances in the “maraqq” can influence the brain, which can contribute to the pathogenesis of a number of brain diseases. Accordingly, those patients who regularly had gastrointestinal discom-forts experienced a higher prevalence of headache, melancholia, and epilepsy. This study aimed to explore the relationship between abdominal and brain diseases from Avicenna’s viewpoint. Furthermore, the definition, clinical manifestation, and therapeutic strategies of maraqq-related disorders were described. © 2023, Croatian Scientific Society for the History of Health. All rights reserved.