27. Abu Marwan Ibn Zuhr
(465-557H/1072-1162AD)

Ibn Zuhr was a surname of family of Muslim scientists who flourished in Andalusia from the beginning of the 10th century to the early years of the 13th century AD(161). The most famous of them was the physician Abu Marwan 'abd Al-malik Ibn Abi Al-'ala' Zuhr, commonly called abu Marwan and known for the Europeans as Avenzoar. He was the descendant of a family of physician; his farther Abu Al-'ala' was a skilful doctor in diagnosis and curing, and his grand father was a doctor. He was born between 1091-1094 AD (484-487 H)(162). After having studied literature, doctrine, and jurisprudence, he learned medicine under his father. He was a friend of Ibn Rushd, the physician and philosopher.

Abu Marwan served first for the Almoravid Emirs and suffered under the reign of "Ali Ibn Yussuf Ibn Tachfine" as much as his father beforehand. He was imprisoned for nearly ten years in Marrakech. After the fall of the Almoravids and the establishment of the Almohad dynasty, he served as a physician and Vizier for Abdelmoumen, the founder of the state who surrounded him with his solicitude. This allowed him to compile his most interesting works. He died in Servile, his native city.

Scientific Contributions

Ibn Zuhr was a unique case of his time. Despite his vast and encyclopedic knowledge, he specialized in medicine and practiced it all his life. He made many innovations, such as the description of various internal and skin diseases, and surgery. He led researches on the ulcers and diseases of the head, ears, nose, lips, teeth, eyes, neck, lungs and heart. He was concerned by the different kinds of fever. He described pericardium inflammation and distinguished it pneumonitis.

Ibn Zuhr based his researches on empiricism and scientific examination. He was able to discover some diseases that were unknown before, such as lung diseases. He operated on trachea, and was the first to use hypodermics for artificial feeding(163).

He was one of the leading physicians who directed their interest to the study of diseases found in particular environments, like diseases that were widespread in Marrakech. Just as he was among the first doctors to stress on the curing and nutritional value of honey(164). 

Ibn Zuhr was one of the greatest Andalusian physicians. He earned the esteem of most of his contemporaries, on top of whom was his friend Ibn Roshd, who qualified him in his book “al-Kuliyat” as the greatest doctor after Galen. Thanks to the translation of his books into Latin and Hebrew, Ibn Zuhr had been an influential figure in European medicine until the 17th century.

Major Works

The most famous books of ibn Zuhr are :

-“Kitab his at-Taysirfi al-mudawat wa at-tadbir” (Treatments and Diets), is a medical encyclopedia that gives evidence of the medical skillfulness and talent of ibn Zuhr. He offered it to his friend ibn Roshd who later compiled his book “Generalities in Medicine”(165). The two books, in fact, complemented each other. This book was translated into Latin in 1490 AD and had a considerable impact on European medicine until the 17th century(166).

Copies of it are still preserved in many libraries among which the Public Library in Rabat, and the libraries of Paris, Oxford in England and Florence in Italy(167). In 1991, the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco edited it after its annotation and preparation for printing by the researcher Mohammed Ibn Abdellah Rudani.

-“Kitab al-Iktisad fi Islah an-Nufus wa al-Ajsad” (Curing souls and bodies). It’s a sort of summary of diseases, cures, health prevention science and psychotherapy. Many copies of this book are conserved in libraries, including in the Royal Library in Rabat(168).

- “Kitab al-Aghdia wa al-adwya” (Nutrition and medication). Ibn Zuhr describes in this book various kinds of nutriments and drugs and their effects on Health. It was translated in Latin. It is still in the manuscript form. Two copies are preserved in the Royal Library in Rabat(169).

Along with these three books, abu Marwan has written other books and treatises in medicine.