JPA Daily Buzz - Edisi 18 2026

For Centuries, European Universities Studied a MuslimDoctor’s Textbook. page 1 18th Edition/ 2026 26th February 2026 The Buzz Crew When we talk about the foundations of modern medicine, names like Hippocrates and Galen are often mentioned. But for over 500 years, medical students in European universities studied a textbook written by a Muslim scholar. His name was Ibn Sina (980–1037 CE), known in the West as Avicenna . Ibn Sina was born in 980 CE in Afshana, near Bukhara, in present- day Uzbekistan, during the Islamic Golden Age. He was a polymath, a scholar whose expertise went far beyond medicine. He studied and wrote on: Philosophy Logic Astronomy Mathematics Theology Physics By the age of 18, he was already recognised as a skilled physician. Historical accounts describe how he was called to treat rulers and high officials due to his medical expertise. He lived during a time of vibrant intellectual activity, where scholars translated, debated, and expanded knowledge from Greek, Persian, and Indian traditions. Ibn Sina did not merely inherit knowledge. He refined it. His most famous work, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine), was written in the early 11th century. It was not just a medical book. It was a structured medical encyclopedia. The Canon organised medical knowledge into five volumes, covering: Principles of medicine Anatomy and physiology Diagnosis and clinical observation Pharmacology Treatment of specific diseases Contagious illnesses Testing and evaluation of drugs What distinguished Ibn Sina was his systemisation of knowledge. He synthesised earlier medical traditions including Hippocratic and Galenic medicine with his own observations into a logical and teachable framework. Medicine became organised. Structured. Methodical. By the 12th century, The Canon of Medicine was translated into Latin. It became a foundational text in European universities such as: Bologna Montpellier Paris It remained in use in parts of Europe until the 16th and even 17th century. For centuries, European medical students studied from a book written by a Muslim physician from Central Asia . This is not rhetorical exaggeration. It is documented academic history. Behind every story, there is a team that works with heart. The Pulsekeeper Dr. Diyana Hassim The VisionWhisperer Norazizul The Pixel Alchemist Sabrina The Buzz Architect Lidyawati The Buzzkeeper Nurfazlina The Light Catcher Syukran