Persian Medicine can be classified as a complete medical system in CAM branches. It has its own philosophy and methodology that correlates with a wide domain of knowledge called Hikmat. Sage physicians in Persia and Islamic lands designated “Tebb” (Medicine) in a holistic approach with a complete structure including both basic principles and experimental-based teachings.

This course will provide the main logical principles of Persian medicine along with the natural affairs of human body. In this course, students learn about the historical roots of Persian medicine, the whole structure of knowledge (Hikmat), the place of Medicine among its branches, the logical and experimental teachings about the human body, its structure and its somatic and psychic functions in healthy state.

A. Background and Brief history of Persian medicine

- Ancient pre- Islamic era (Zarathustra and Mazdayasna School, Ocbatan School, medicine in Achaemenid era and Sassanid era, Gondi Shapour University)

• Greek physicians: Hippocrates, Galen
• Post-Islamic era: Akhawayini al-Bukhari, Herawi, Majusi, Avicenna, Rhazes, Albuscasis, Jorjani, …

B. A brief explanation about the main specific aspects of Persian medicine as an integrated school of medicine

• Why do we name it "Persian medicine"? Is it purely "Persian"?
• What makes it "Persian"? why do we name it "Persian" instead of "Iranian"?
• What does it have in common with other eastern schools of medicine? (Ayurveda, TCM), and what differentiates it from them?
• What does it have in common with some other branches of Complementary-Alternative Medicine like naturopathy or herbal medicine? what differentiates it from them?

C. The methodology of Persian medicine:

• Logical approach
• Empirical approach

D. The structure of knowledge:

The main branches of "Hikmat", and the place of "medicine" in this structure, the relationship between the branches of  Hikmat.

E. The definition of "Medicine" with emphasis on preserving health, and healthy life style

F. The classification of Persian medicine knowledge (speculative medicine, practical medicine, and their branches)

G. Natural affairs

1. Four elements:

• Definition of elements
• Definition and description of the basic qualities (active qualities, passive qualities) in the elements
• The difference between elements as substratum and the combined homonymous matters (for example the difference between elemental water and H₂o…)
• The role of each element (substratum) in compound things (with medical examples like the clinical manifestations of heat excess, moist excess, etc.)

2. Temperaments:

• The definition of temperament
• The endlessness of combined forms and the endlessness of temperaments
• Description of temperaments according to the composition of four qualities (the nine possible temperaments)

3. Humors

• The difference between temperaments and humors: the common universal misunderstanding
• The process of humor production in the body (from eating and drinking edible things to liver digestion)
• The material cause of humors, the subjective cause of humors, the final (functional) cause of humors.

4. Organs

• The process of organ formation from humors
• The classification of organs: chief organs, and non-chief organs
• The temperament of chief organs and their role in the systemic temperament, and the  function of chief organs

5. Spirits

• Definition of spirits
• The difference between medical spirit and the spirit in philosophy and religious beliefs
• The process of spirit formation in the body
• The classification of spirits and their role in physical, mental and emotional functions

6. Faculties

• Definition of faculties
• Classification of faculties
• The relations between chief organs, spirits, and faculties

7. Actions

• The importance of actions as the final outcome of all the mentioned natural affairs
• The classification of actions

References: The Canon of medicine (Alghanoon fi-al- teb), Kholasat- al-Hikmah