Avenzoar

He was the greatest of the Mohammedan physicians of the western caliphate. Avenzoar was an Arabian physician of the 12th century, born at Seville, in Spain where his father practiced medicine.

His full name Abu Merwan Abdal Malik ibn Zuhr. He died at Morocco in the year 1162.

Under the tuition of his father he became at an early age distinguished in his profession.

His elaborate description of itch-mote had given him possibly the first parasitologist after Alexander of Tralles.

He gave descriptions of paralysis and inflammation of the middle ear and recommended goats milk in phthisis.

He had the courage to go against the then galenism. He differed with him on the causes of paralysis on the curability of amaurosis, and on same other points, thus showing an independent exceedingly rare at the epoch.

He had the care of an hospital and composed a work entitled Al-Theiser, containing a compendium of medical practice and including many facts and observation not found in preceding writers, which were probably the result of his own experience.

The principle work of Avenzoar, Theiser is a complete treatise on the practice of medicine, which displays more originality and sound philosophy than was common among the Arabians. It was studied at the major and newly established universities of Europe.

Avenzoar wrote a book on ‘the Method of preparing Medicines and Diet’ which is much esteemed. This works was translated into Hebrew, in the year 1280 and afterwards into Latin by Paravicius, whose version has had several editions.
Avenzoar