Famous Physician Da’ud al-Antaki and His Writings Regarding Neuroanatomy and Evaluation of Their Significances in the History of Islamic Medicine

Abstract

Aim: To study chapters related to neuroanatomy in the works of Da’ud al-Antaki (1541?-1599) and to determine their significances in Islamic history of medicine were aimed.

Material and Method: Da’ud al-Antaki’s Tezkiretu uli’l-elbâb ve’l-câmi‘ li’l-‘acebi’l-‘ucâb, en-Nuzhetu’l-mubhice fî teşhîzi’l-ezhân ve ta‘dîli’l-emzice, Nuzhetu’l-ezhân fî islâhi’l-ebdân, and Mecma‘u’l-fevâ’id (menâfi‘)i’l-bedeniyye were studied. Chapters related to neuroanatomy were translated Turkish and then compared to neuroanatomic knowledge in the works of important physicians, such as Avicenna, Jorjani, Mansur b. Muhammed b. Ahmed, Surgeon Ibrahim, Emir Çelebi and Şemseddin Itaki, who were predecessors or successors of Da’ud al-Antaki in the history of Turkish-Islamic Medicine, so neuroanatomy knowledge of Da’ud was tried to be determined in historical context.

Findings: Chapters related to neuoranatomy were found under the title of “word on brain” in en-Nuzhetu’l-mubhice fî teşhîzi’l-ezhân ve ta‘dîli’l-emzice and Nuzhetu’l-ezhân fî islâhi’l-ebdân.

Results: Da’ud al-Antaki demonstrated the importance of anatomy knowledge, writing chapters on anatomy in his two works named Nuzhet but he did not present any new knowledge on neuroanatomy or did not make any contribution to neuroanatomy.