A rare Napoleon book adorns the Islamic Manuscripts House

The second episode of the "First Edition" programme features "The Canon of Medicine" by Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Sina, the Prince of Physicians and the father of modern medicine in the Middle Ages. This manuscript was once part of the collection of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, ruler of France between 1796 and 1821.

The Canon of books

Saeed al-Madawi, the general supervisor of the House of Manuscripts, explains that some mistakenly refer to it simply as "The Canon of Medicine." It comprises several books. The first, in 62 pages, covers the general principles of medicine. The second, in 84 pages, deals with individual medicines arranged alphabetically. The third, in 166 pages, addresses specific diseases affecting the human body, from head to toe, both externally and internally.

Al-Madawi adds that the fourth book, comprising 88 pages, discusses partial diseases that, if they occur, are not specific to a particular organ. The fifth book, in 46 pages, deals with compound medicines (pharmacopoeia). Finally, the fourth book, "Al-Najat," is an abridgment of Ibn Sina's "Al-Shifa," comprising 44 pages, which explain logic, natural philosophy, and metaphysics.

He notes that the index of the five books is 32 pages long, and the first edition was printed in 1593 by the Medici Typography Press in Rome, Italy, and consists of 522 pages.