| Ali Ibn Radwan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 14th century painting of Ali Ibn Radwan (astronomical clock in St. Nicholas' Church (Stralsund) | |
| Born | 988 Giza, now Egypt |
| Died | 1061 (aged 73) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate, now Iraq |
| Occupation | Physician, Astrologer, Astronomer |
| Nationality | Arab, Egyptian |
| Notable works | Commentator of Galen's Tetrabiblos, Commentator of Ancient Greek Medicine, De revolutionibus nativitatum, Tractatus de cometarum significationibus per xii signa zodiaci, On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt, Detailed of Supernova SN 1006 |
Abu'l Hassan Ali ibn Radwan Al-Misri (Arabic: أَبُو اَلْحَسَنْ عَلِي بْنْ رَضْوَانْ بْنْ عَلِي بْنْ جَعْفَرْ اَلْمِصْرِيِّ) (c. 988 - c. 1061) was an Arab of Egyptian origin who was a physician, astrologer and astronomer, born in Giza.
He was a commentator on ancient Greek medicine, and in particular on Galen; his commentary on Galen's Ars Parva was translated by Gerardo Cremonese. However, he is better known for providing the most detailed description of the supernova now known as SN 1006, the brightest stellar event in recorded history, which he observed in the year 1006. This was written in a commentary on Ptolemy's work Tetrabiblos.
He was later cited by European authors as Hali, Haly, or Haly Abenrudian. According to Alistair Cameron Crombie he also contributed to the theory of induction. He engaged in a celebrated polemic against another physician, Ibn Butlan of Baghdad.
On The Qualities of a Physician
In "The Book of Medical Competence" he mentions the traits of the virtuous physician as the one who possesses the following seven characteristics:
1. He should be ethical, intelligent, with good vision, sane, and benevolent.
2. He should be clean and well-dressed.
3. He should treat patients' secrets as confidential, not revealing their illnesses.
4. His desire to cure patients should exceed his desire to profit from them; he should be more willing to cure the needy than the rich.
5. He should be eager to learn and help.
6. He should be pure of heart, honest, and not envious. Nothing about the wealth he has seen or the affairs of women should cross his mind.
7. He must be careful not to prescribe an untested potentially fatal medicine, or one that would cause abortion. He should cure his enemies as he would his loved ones.
Works
- A commentary on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (the pseudo-Ptolemaic Centiloquy and its commentary, which is sometimes attributed to Ali, is actually the work of Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn al-Daya)
- De revolutionibus nativitatum (The Revolutions of Nativities), edited by Luca Gaurico, printed in Venice (1524)
- On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt: a treatise written to refute Ibn al-Jazzar's claim that Egypt was a very unhealthy place. Ibn Radwan also argues that air (together with other environmental aspects) was fundamental to the health of a population.
- The Book of Medical Competence where he describes the qualities of a physician and more.
References
- Samy Swayd (10 March 2015). Historical Dictionary of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4422-4617-1.
- "Celestial Delights - Telescope Reviews & Guides - Explore the Wonders of the Universe". celestialdelights.info. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
- Augustine to Galileo 2, p. 25
- Schacht, Joseph; Meyerhof, Max: The medico-philosophical controversy between Ibn Butlan of Baghdad and Ibn Radwan of Cairo: a contribution to the history of Greek learning among the Arabs. Egyptian University. Faculty of Arts. Publication no. 13. Cairo 1937
- Pormann, Peter E.; Emilie Savage-Smith (2007). Medieval Islamic Medicine. Edinburgh University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7486-2066-1.
External links
Media related to Ali ibn Ridwan at Wikimedia Commons
- History of Islamic Science
- 2001 Columbia dissertation by Jennifer Ann Seymore The Life of Ibn Ridwan and his commentary of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos; not open link
- James H. Holden (1996). "Arabian Astrology". Retrieved 2006-10-09.
- "Ali ibn Ridwan: On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt" (PDF). Translated by Michael W. Dols. 2006-09-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- Margaret Donsbach (July–August 2006). "The Scholar's Supernova". Saudi Aramco World. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-03-04.