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Abu ‘Abdullah Sharaf-al-Zaman Muhammad Ibn Yusuf al-‘Ilaqi (d.1068 AD), Kitab al-Khulasah min kuliyyat al-qanun (an abridgement of the 'Book of Canons of Medicine'), copied by Abu al-Ma’ali Ibn Abi’l-Karam Ibn Abi Sahl al-Nusrani, dated 688 AH/1289 AD
Description
- Black ink on polished paper with leather binding and ropework borders
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Ibn Sina (d.1037 AD), known as Avicenna in the west, can be regarded as the most influential writer in the history of medicine. Such was the utility of his Qanun that, from its origins in the early eleventh century in western Iran, it was used all over the Middle East and Europe as the standard medical textbook for a period of seven centuries. It was translated in its entirety into Latin by Gerard of Cremona between 1150-87 AD and a total of eighty-seven translations were subsequently made. It formed the basis of medical teaching at all European universities and appears in the oldest known syllabus of teaching, that of the Medical School of Montpellier in 1309 AD.
The secret of the Qanun's long popularity lay both in Ibn Sina's clear and lucid description and diagnosis, and in the fact that he gathered together, in one work, the myriad and scattered doctrines of Hippocrates, Galen, Aristotle, the other ancients and previous Oriental physicians. Essentially, it was the most complete encyclopaedic corpus of medieval medical knowledge. The Qanun contains around a million words and is divided into five books. The present manuscript represents an abridgment of the colossal work, and an early copy, dated just over two hundred years after the author's death.