Ibn Riḍwān
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Abu'l Hassan Ali ibn Radwan Al-Misri () (c. 988 - c. 1061) was an
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
of
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 year ...
origin who was a
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
,
astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
and
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
, born in
Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...
. He was a commentator on
ancient Greek medicine Ancient Greek medicine was a compilation of theories and practices that were constantly expanding through new ideologies and trials. The Greek term for medicine was ''iatrikē'' (). Many components were considered in Ancient Greece, ancient Greek ...
, and in particular on
Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...
; 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 A supernova (: supernovae or supernovas) is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last stellar evolution, evolutionary stages of a massive star, or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion ...
now known as
SN 1006 SN 1006 was a supernova that is likely the brightest observed stellar event in recorded history, reaching an estimated −7.5 visual magnitude, and exceeding roughly sixteen times the brightness of Venus. Appearing between April 30 and May 1, 1 ...
, 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 h ...
, which he observed in the year 1006. This was written in a commentary on
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
's work ''
Tetrabiblos ''Tetrabiblos'' (, ), also known as ''Apotelesmatiká'' (, ) and in Latin as ''Quadripartitum'' (), is a text on the philosophy and practice of astrology, written by the Alexandrian scholar Claudius Ptolemy in Koine Greek during the Ptolemy' ...
''. 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 history. ...
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 ( ; – 8 Šauwāl 458 AH or 2 September 1066), commonly known as Ibn Buṭlān ( ), was an Arab physician and Christian theologian. Born in Baghda ...
of Baghdad.


On The Qualities of a Physician

In "The Book of Medical Competence" he mentions the traits of the virtuous physician as the one who possesses the following seven characteristics: 1. He should be ethical, intelligent, with good vision, sane, and benevolent. 2. He should be clean and well-dressed. 3. He should treat patients' secrets as confidential, not revealing their illnesses. 4. His desire to cure patients should exceed his desire to profit from them; he should be more willing to cure the needy than the rich. 5. He should be eager to learn and help. 6. He should be pure of heart, honest, and not envious. Nothing about the wealth he has seen or the affairs of women should cross his mind. 7. He must be careful not to prescribe an untested potentially fatal medicine, or one that would cause abortion. He should cure his enemies as he would his loved ones.


Works

* A commentary on
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
'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) * ''De revolutionibus nativitatum'' (The Revolutions of Nativities), edited by
Luca Gaurico Luca Gaurico (in Latin, Lucas Gauricus) (Giffoni March 12, 1475 – March 6, 1558, in Rome) was an Italian astrologer, astronomer, astrological data collector, and mathematician. He was born to a poor family in the Kingdom of Naples, and studi ...
, printed in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
(1524) * ''On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt'': a treatise written to refute Ibn al-Jazzar's claim that Egypt was a very unhealthy place. Ibn Radwan also argues that air (together with other environmental aspects) was fundamental to the health of a population. * ''The Book of Medical Competence'' where he describes the qualities of a physician and more.


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 Arab people