24. Ibn Jizla
(Died in 493H/1100 AD)

Abu Ali Yahya ibn Isa Ibn Jizla was an Arab Muslim physician from Baghdad. While his birth date is not known, he passed away in 1100 AD. Europeans know him as Bengesla. He was Christian and embraced Islam in 1074. He was influenced by his teacher Abu Ali ibn al-Mouâtazili. He received his education in medicine from Said ibn Hibat Allah, the doctor of the Abbasid caliph al-Mouqtadi bi Amr Allah. Ibn Jizla was known for treating his acquaintances and relatives and giving them medicines for free. He was also known for his care and generosity toward the poor”(145).

Scientific Contributions

Ibn Jizla was the medical reference in his time. His major contribution was the elaboration of tables describing in detail a wide range of diseases and presented the epidemic diseases, their seasons, the countries where they are endemic, their diagnosis and treatment. He adopted a systematic method for the monitoring of the body parts and their diseases, and designed tables that are easy to use by ordinary educated people in providing treatment(146).

Ibn Jizla was also one of Baghdad’s famous pharmacist. He described drugs, plants and medicines and all other materials used in treatment such as meat and chemical preparations(147).

A distinctive feature of Ibn Jizla in medical treatment was his deep conviction of the important role of music in the treatment and prevention of diseases. In this respect, he said : “The effect of music on ailing psyches resembles that of medicines on ailing bodies.(148)

Major Works

Among the famous works of Ibn Jizla, the following can be mentioned :

-"Taqwim al-abdan fi tadbir al-insan" : Ibn Jizla classified the names of diseases in tables and described the treatment of 352 diseases(149). A Latin translation of this book was edited in Strasbourg in 1532;

-"Minhaj al-bayan fi ma Yastaâmiluhu al-insan" written for the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadi. It contains an alphabetical listing of medicines and plants;

-"Al Ishara fi Talkhis al-i'bara";

-"Rissala fi Madh Tib wa Mouafakataho li Sharâ" (Treatise Lauding Medicine and its Compliance with the Islamic Precepts);

-"Rissala fi Ar-rad ala Annasrania" (Treatise Responding to Christianity).