Journal of - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

Buthaina JALKHI, Osama DHABBEET,
George ILIAS SHAQRA
Al-Jaldakī ’S Views About What the Doctor Needs, in the Lights
of the Science of the Balance
cal knowledge. These experiments led him to different explorations,
attributed to him through history.
Al-Jaldakī described in details the various ways of distillation,
and explained the ways used nowadays like Extractive
distillation, Steam Distillation, and Binary distillation.
Through his explanations, he explained every single
property of the elements. So, he was the first who explained
that each mass turns to different color when burned. He
concluded that interaction between chemical elements will
not happen unless there are definite measures of these elements.
And he was the first who used masks during the
chemical interactions for the purpose of precaution of inhalational
gases.
Besides his study of chemistry, he moved to study Medicine,
and Physics. So, in his book ‘Al-borhan fi asrar elm al
meezan’, he studied audio and water waves, Echo, and other
physical phenomena.
Al-Jaldakī died either in (743 H. / 1342 A.D.) or in (750
H. / 1351 A.D.), and left a huge amount of books and letters
most of them in Chemistry.
His Writings
Al-Jaldakī wrote in various sciences like Medicine and
Chemistry in which he explained different symbols especially
those related to chemistry. His writings were very
long; each book usually has many volumes, each volume
has many articles, each article has different chapters, each
chapter has different units, and so on. We will mention his
most important writings, focusing on the one that he discussed
Medicine. For example:
• The Proofs in the Science of Balance ‘‘Al-borhan fi asrar
elm al meezan’
• The Approximation in Synthesis ‘al takreeb fi asrar al
tarkeeb’
• The Diver’s Pearl and the treasure of specification ‘durrat
al ghawwas wa kanzul ikhtisas’
The definition of the science of the Balance by
Al-Jaldakī
Al-Jaldakī defines the science of Balance as:
“It is when the doctors see the defects and needs of certain
subjects as well as the needs of combinations, using
certain scales. These scales go back to the astronomical proportions
mentioned in talismans. Besides, Al-Jaldakī used
certain elements that led to interaction in the balance of
elements in quantity and quality. Thus, if scientists exactly
followed that, then –with the assistance of God- they will
get the requested results by modifying the negative subjects
to become whole ones.
From the previous definition, we see that Al-Jaldakī
claimed that the science of Balance is the science in which
the doctors (physicians) know the results that led to the
illness of the body (that led to the deficiency). Then,
he specified the amount of that imperfection in quality
or quantity. Thus, if the doctor specifically defines the
amount of decrease or increase depending on the science
of Balance, then he will be able to treat the deficit body
–with the assistance of God- to become again healthy and
perfect.
The Relation between Medicine and the
Science of Balance
Al-Jaldakī pointed out that Medicine is a type of the science
of Balance, justifying that claim by various issues:
1. The science of Balance studies all of the upper and
lower elements, the balance of the high effects, celestial
bodies, and spirituals; whereas Medicine studies animal
bodies specifically.
2. The doctors’ diagnosis is built on the difference of
the nature scales (the difference in seasons, air, temperature,
humidity, and others), thus, Medicine is a
branch of Astrology and a branch of the science of
Balance.
3. The proficient doctor is the one who knows the origins
of Astrology and the secrets of the science of Balance.
Thus, Medicine requires the science of Balance in
knowing the quality and quantity of the forms of drugs
used in different countries since these forms differ from
one country to another.
From the previous points, we conclude that Medicine
needs the science of Balance in the sense that it helps doctors
to diagnose the illness by defining the deficit in the
balance of temperature, humidity, dryness, cold, and other
factors. Also, the science of Balance allows specifying the
quantity of suitable drugs, thus, each deficit would lead to
negative results.
What the doctors need, according to
Al-Jaldakī
Al-Jaldakī mentioned in his book ‘al-Insan’ that it is
important for doctors to diagnose illness before advising
the suitable medicine. This book ‘al-Insan’ is the first book
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ISHIM 2011-2012