Journal of - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

A Study of an Arabic Manuscript ‘Ain-Al-Hayat’
Written on Geriatrics by Mohammad Ibn Yousuf Harvi
and its Translation into English
Ashfaque AHMAD
Research Officer (Unani), National National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (C.C.R.A.S.), 3rd Floor, Osmania Medical College building, Putlibowli,
Hyderabad-500095, India,
e-mail: drashfaq.ccras@gmail.com
Summary
Ain-Al-Hayat is an Arabic manuscript written on the topic of geriatrics by Mohammad Ibn Yousuf Harvi. Copies of the manuscript are available
in different libraries of the world. Ain-Al-Hayat has been published and translated into Urdu by Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences
(IAMMS), Aligarh, U.P. India.
But unfortunately it has not been translated into English so far. Therefore keeping in view the importance of the manuscript, I took a project from
government of India to translate it into English. Now Ain-Al-Hayat is going first time to be published along with English translation from National National
Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (C.C.R.A.S.), 3rd Floor, Osmania Medical College building, Putlibowli, Hyderabad-500095, India. The details
of study and contents of the book are mentioned in this paper.
Key Words: Ain-Al-Hayat, Geriatrics, Manuscript
Introduction
• Name of the Mss: Ain-Al-Hayat
• Author : Mohammad Ibn Yousuf Harvi
• Period : 1532 AD (Paper Mss)
• Language : Arabic
• Script : Arabic
• Source : Andhra Pradesh Government Oriental Manuscript
Library and Research Institute, Hyderabad
• Subject : Geriatrics
• Pages : 196
• Collated, Edited and Translated into English by: Dr.
Ashfaque Ahmad
Geriatrics
In recent period Geriatrics has been given so much
importance which is a sub-specialty of internal medicine
and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly
people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating
diseases and disabilities in older adults.
The term geriatrics comes from the Greek γέρων geron
meaning “old man” and ιατρός iatros meaning “healer”.
However, geriatrics is sometimes called medical gerontology.
The first modern geriatric hospital was founded in Belgrade,
Serbia in 1881 AD by Dr. Laza Lazarević. The term
geriatrics was proposed in 1909 by Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher,
former Chief of Clinic in the Mount Sinai Hospital Outpatient
Department (New York City) and a “Father” of geriatrics
in the United States.
Geriatrics differs from standard adult medicine because
it focuses on the unique needs of the elderly person. The
aged body is different physiologically from the younger
adult body, and during old age, the decline of various organ
systems becomes manifest.
The decline in physiological reserve in organs makes
the elderly develop some kinds of diseases and have more
complications from mild problems (such as dehydration
from a mild gastroenteritis). Elderly people require specific
attention to medications.
Changes in physiology with aging may alter the absorption,
the effectiveness and the side effect profile of
many drugs. These changes may occur in oral protective
reflexes (dryness of the mouth caused by diminished salivary
glands), in the gastrointestinal system (such as with
delayed emptying of solids and liquids possibly restricting
speed of absorption), and in the distribution of drugs
with changes in body fat and muscle and drug elimination.
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