History of Islamic Medicine 26

1. Arkan (Elements)
"Arkan " are simple bodies, which account for original constituents of human and non-human beings. They include fire , air , water and soil .
2- Mizaj (Physical Temperament)
Physical temperament is a product of combination of elements. Under a classification, physical temperaments fall into two categories.
A. Moderate
B. Immoderate
A. Moderate temperament in turn falls into two categories.
q Real moderate is a temperament in which the amount of qualities or quantities, which run counter to each other, is equal.
q Hypothetical moderate includes all those temperaments, which are not real.
Real moderate is a non-existent. What philosophers call Moderate is in fact hypothetical Moderate.
B. Immoderate temperaments fall into two categories as well:
q Simple temperaments
In such temperaments the quantity of two elements is equal but the third element outweighs the fourth. That definition adds up to 4 different simple temperaments. For instance if warmness and coldness are equal in quantity, but dryness is bigger than wetness , that temperament is called "dry ".
q Complex Temperament
Neither pair is equal in this temperament. Two elements are always over whelmed by the other two. Overall, under this category we have four temperaments: "warm and dry ", "warm and wet ”, "cold and dry" and "cold and wet".
3- Akhlat (Structural Components)
Structural components are the components into which food is first turned. There are four of them.
A. Bile , which is warm and dry .
B. Blood , which is warm and wet .
C. Phlegm which is cold and wet .
D. Black bile , which is cold and dry .
Below is a chart showing the features of structural components in comparison with elements.

Element	Structural Component	Feature
Fire	Bile	Warm and Dry
Air	Blood	Warm and Wet
Water	Phlegm	Cold  and Wet
Soil	Black bile	Cold  and Dry

 

Each one of the structural components in turn falls into two categories: natural and unnatural.
To have life, water and air are the most important elements respectively. The main components of human body are bile and blood . Human life depends on blood circulation. When circulation stops, life comes to an end. Structural components interact. When there is a balance in relationship among structural components, life becomes sustainable.
Structural components are said to be made up of food. That means food, just like humans, has physical temperaments. Some foods are warm and dry so they make up bile . In fact they have anti-phlegmatic effects. Some others are warm and wet . They make blood and have anti-black bile effects. Another group is cold and wet. That is it helps create phlegm and has anti-bile effect. The last group is cold and dry helps the body make black bile . They have anti-blood effects. Natural drugs such as herbal medicines have physical temperaments, too. These temperaments are used as a basis for prescription of a certain herbal medicine for an illness.
4- Adha (Fully - Grown Organs)
Fully-grown organs are made up of akhlat (structural components). Each one of them has its special features. For instance heart is the warmest organ, while bones are the coldest. Organs fall into two different categories: "Raeesah" and "Qeir Raeesah". The latter in turn falls into two categories "Khadem-ul-Raeesah" and "Qeir Khadem-ul-Raeesah". "Qeir Khadem-ul-Raeesah" organs are either "Maroosah" or "Qeir Maroosah". "Raeesah" organs are instrumental in sustainability of life. Among them are heart, brain, liver and testicles.
Examples of "Khadem-ul-Raeesah" organs are nerves, arteries, and urea, which help brain, heart and liver carry out their functions. Maroosah organs are those which receive the power from Raeesah organs. Among them are kidneys, stomach, spleen, and lungs. Qeir Maroosah organs are those which receive no power from Raeesah organs. Among them are bones and joints.
5- Arwah (Vital forces of life)
Arwah is the plural form of "Ruh ". They are made up of steams of structural components and fall into three different categories.
A. Natural Ruh (Tabiee) , which is pumped into veins from liver. It visits all parts of the body and facilitates nutrition and growth.
B. Animal Ruh (Heywani), which is pumped into arteries from heart and circulate.
C. Spirit Ruh (Nafsani) , which is sent by brain to different parts of the body through nerves. It is the origin of sense and motion.
6- Quwa (Bodily power)
Quwa is the plural form of "Quwat" which is the power granted to human or animal body to do what they want to. Quwa fall into two different categories.
A. The Quwa (powers) which are essential in life.
B. The Quwa (powers) which are essential in reproduction.
The first group in turn falls into three categories.
q Natural powers which are based in liver and are instrumental in nutrition and growth.
q Animal power, which are based in heart and play a role in living functions. While the heart pumping blood , air is taken in and smoke-like steam is forced out of heart and lungs.
q Spiritual powers which are based in brain and control senses and motions. Spiritual powers fall into different categories in turn:
a) Perceptive powers
Perceptive powers in turn fall into external and internal categories. External powers include vision, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Internal powers include common sense, imagination, thinking, illusion and memory.
-Common sense is a power, which senses all tangible things.
-Imagination is a power, which retains the effects of what has crossed the line from tangible to common sense.
-Thinking is a power, which makes changes in tangible things like thinking of a headless or two-headed man. The difference between dreaming and thinking is that the first one keeps what it receives from the common sense but the latter makes changes to what dream keeps in it.
-Vahm (Conceit)
-Hafezeh (preserving power)
b) Motive power
Motive power falls into two categories:
-"Ba_etheh" (incentive power), which encourages the person to make a motion which is useful or seems so; or it makes the person stop a motion, which is harmful or seems so.
-"Fa_eleh" (active power) is the power, which makes muscles do what "Ba_etheh" instruct them to.
7. Afaal (functions)
Afaal is the plural form of "Fel" which means task and activity. All the previous six entries are there to carry out certain tasks. Some tasks are accomplished by one single power like digestion and excretion. Some tasks require cooperation of a few powers. Among them are "turning food to structural components" and "turning structural components to "Ruh ", etc.
What was already mentioned reveals that the ITM has its roots in medicine of ancient Iran, folk medicine and the medicine practiced in other countries. It should be mentioned however that Islamic teachings have played a significant role in shaping up the ITM.