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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2014; 04(01): 9-12
DOI: 10.4103/2231-0770.127415
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Avicenna′s contribution to cardiology

Mohammed A.R Chamsi-Pasha
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
,
Hassan Chamsi-Pasha
King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Abstract

Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna, was the most famous and influential of all the Islamic philosopher-scientists. His most important medical works are the Canon of Medicine medical encyclopedia and a treatise on cardiac drugs. His Canon of Medicine remained the standard text in both the East and West until the 16 th century. Avicenna′s description of cardiac diseases was logically presented perhaps for the first time in the history of medicine. Avicenna was the first to describe carotid sinus hypersensitivity, which presents with vasovagal syncope. He was a pioneer in pulsology and the first correct explanation of pulsation was given by Avicenna, after he refined Galen′s theory of the pulse. Besides, he discussed the action of available drugs on the heart in details and mentioned their indications and contraindications. In conclusion, Avicenna made important contributions to cardiology. This article describes some of his contributions in this field.

Keywords

Avicenna - cardiology - drugs - heart disease - Ibn Sina


Publication History

Article published online:
09 August 2021

© 2014. Syrian American Medical Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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