Journal of - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

CHALHOUB Sami, OMRAN Taleb, ALI Rula
The Relation between Times Progression
to Human Health in the Arabic Islamic Heritage
3.3. The relation between seasons progression and Human
health:
We notice in studying the relation between seasons progression
and human health that the Arab physicians, such
as ‛Ali b. Rabban at-Tabarī (born in 180 or 185 H./ 796 or
801 AD, and died in about 250 H./ 864 AD) , Abu Bakr
ar-Rāzī (died in 313 H/925 AD) and al-Hasan b(al)-Bahlūl
depended on Hippocrates’s book “Knowing the Seasons”,
that encompassed everything about the progression of the
four seasons on health. at-Tabarī reported the relation between
a year, wind and health, “If the year had a dry and
clear air, and everything appeared in its time illnesses will
be little and was a good year…”[5]. And he mentioned the
relation between the seasons, wind and health, “if the winter
was dry with northern wind, and the spring was rainy
with southern wind, the summer would have mildew, fever,
ophthalmia, and diarrhea, especially for those who was
cold and wet.[5]
We notice that there is a correlation between seasons and
wind because times of wind blowing are related with the fall
of the fixed stars and their rise. Al-Marzūqī said in mentioning
the four winds and their directions, “Southern Direction
from the rise of Souhel to the rise of Pleiades al-Șeria, Siba,
from the rise of Pleiades al-Șeria to Uras Major, and North,
from Uras into the fall of Vega, and Doubour from the fall of
Vega to the rise of Souhel..”.[1] Because the rise of stars had
certain periods in the four seasons of the year.
Ar-Rāzī didn’t make reference to Hippocrates only, but
also commented on the explanations of Galen, for example,
he reported Hippocrates “Fevers follow lack of rain”, [8],
and mentioned two quotes from Galen, in one of them, he
said, “Fever occurs in hot humid, dry air, and infrequently
happen in cold air. Notice the temperature of the air, the
rain nothingness and whether it was from the North or the
South, because it was great”. [8]
Then ar-Rāzī commented on the same idea, which
prove his mastership of all previous sciences, and having
sufficient experience that qualified him to express his view
“What Galen had mentioned in explaining this is clear, and
he means that joining interference of the wind to the interference
of the hot and cold; humid and dry period fostered
this and improved its clues.
An example of this is that if the spring was southern the
spring illnesses were abundant and stronger. In contrast,
with fluctuations of times against each other, illnesses may
happen. The change of time from its specific nature would
change it, and fluctuations of times against each other gradually
in the long run effects health”.[8]
We conclude the following:
1-The importance of studying the astrological medical
manuscripts to cover some aspects of Al-Anwā’ science ,
and the science of astrology.
2-The translation related to astrology books into Arabic
played an important role in developing Arabic Islamic
Astrology and justified the existence of the theoretical astrology.
References
1. Al-Marzūqī Abu ‛Ali Ahmad Ibn al-Hasan, “Times and Places (al-
Azmina wa al- Amkina). editor Khalil al-Mansour, Scientific Books
Publishers Beirut, 1996, Lebanon, 103, 150, 103, 314.
2. Al- Birūnī Abu l-Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad, “The explanations
for the Pioneers in Astrology (kitab al-tafhim li-awa’il sina‛at al-tanjim),
ed. ‛Ali Musa, 2003, Ninawa, Damascus, 55, 131, 131-132.
3. Ibn Hibintā, 1987, Al-Mughni fi Ahkam al-nujum, 1 st Vol. edited by
Fuat Sezgin, Institute of History Arabic and Islamic Sciences, Frankfurt,
Federal Republic of Germany, 235- 243, 336-350, 342, 337.
4. al-Maĝrīțī Abi l-Qāsim Maslama Ibn Ahmad, The Objective of the
Wise and the Best Result to be Introduced (Ghayet al-Hakeem and
ahaq al-natejateen in at-taqdeem), Reviewed H. Reter, 1927, Aukostine
,326.
5. at-Tabarī Ăli b. Rabban, The Paradise of Wisdom in Medicine “ Firdausu’
l-Hikmat “,1928, Aftab Publishers, Berlin, 512-513, 514, 514.
6. Ibn Manzour Abi al-Fadel Jamal Eddin Muhammad Ibn Makram,
Lisan al-Arab, 5 th ed., Sader Press, 1992, Beirut, Vol. 13/341, Vol.
1/603.
7. Ibn (al)-Bahlūl Al-Hasan, Kitab Al-Daláèl, Edited And Commented
By Dr. Joseph Habbi, Publications Of Institute Of Arab Manuscripts,
Arab League Educational Cultural And Scientific Organization,1987,
Kuwait,70,82.
8. Ar-Rāzī Abū Bakr Muhammad B. Zakarīyyā’, Kitābu’ l- Hūwī Fi’ t-
Tibb, 1963,Published By The Dairatu’ l-Ma’arifil- Osmania, Hyderabad,
India, Ad-dakan, Vol. 15 1 st .ed. 158,158-159.
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ISHIM 2011-2012