Abu'l Hassan Ali ibn Ridwan Al-Misri () (c. 988 - c. 1061) was an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

origin who was a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, astrologer and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

, born in Giza. He was a commentator on ancient Greek medicine, and in particular on

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one ...

; his commentary on Galen's ''Ars Parva'' was translated by Gerardo Cremonese. However, he is better known for providing the most detailed description of the supernova now known as SN 1006, the brightest stellar event in

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...

, which he observed in the year 1006. This was written in a commentary on

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

's work '' Tetrabiblos''. He was later cited by European authors as Hali, Haly, or Haly Abenrudian. According to

Alistair Cameron Crombie Alistair Cameron Crombie (4 November 1915 – 9 February 1996) was an Australian historian of science who began his career as a zoologist. He was noted for his contributions to research on competition between species before turning to histor ...

he also contributed to the theory of induction. He engaged in a celebrated polemic against another physician,

Ibn Butlan Abū 'l-Ḥasan al-Muḫtār Yuwānnīs ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbdūn ibn Saʿdūn ibn Buṭlān ( ar, أبو الحسن المختار إيوانيس بن الحسن بن عبدون بن سعدون بن بطلان; ; ca. first quarter of the 11t ...

of Baghdad. Ali Ibn Ridwan is the likely inspiration for

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by ...

's use of the name, Hali, in his short story, ''An Inhabitant of Carcosa''. The name, Hali, was subsequently used by

Robert W. Chambers Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895. Life Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, t ...

and other authors of 'weird' horror fiction.

Works

* A commentary on

's ''Tetrabiblos'' (the pseudo-Ptolemaic '' Centiloquy'' and its commentary, which is sometimes attributed to Ali, is actually the work of

Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn al-Daya Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Tammam al-Siddiq Al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو جعفر أحمد بن يوسف بن ابراهيم بن تمام الصديق البغدادي; 835–912), known in the West by his Latinized name Hametus, was a ...

) * ''De revolutionibus nativitatum'' (The Revolutions of Nativities), edited by Luca Gaurico, printed in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

(1524) * ''On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt'': a treatise written to refute

Ibn al-Jazzar Ahmed Bin Jaafar Bin Brahim Ibn Al Jazzar Al-Qayrawani (895–979) ( ar, أبو جعفر أحمد بن أبي خالد بن الجزار القيرواني), was an influential 10th-century Muslim Arab physician who became famous for his writings o ...

's claim that Egypt was a very unhealthy place. Ibn Ridwan also argues that air (together with other environmental aspects) was fundamental to the health of a population.

References

External links

History of Islamic Science

2001 Columbia dissertation by Jennifer Ann Seymore ''The Life of Ibn Ridwan and his commentary of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos''; not open link
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali ibn Ridwan 980s births 1061 deaths People from Giza Medieval Egyptian astrologers Medieval Egyptian astronomers Physicians from the Fatimid Caliphate 11th-century physicians 11th-century astrologers 11th-century Arabs