Review article
https://doi.org/10.31952/amha.17.1.6
THE MASSAGE APPROACH OF AVICENNA IN THE CANON OF MEDICINE
Murat Çetkin
; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul Medeniyet University, İstanbul, Turkey.
İlhan Bahşi
; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Mustafa Orhan
; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Abstract
Massage is the manipulation of the body tissues by using techniques, such as rubbing, kneading,
pressing, and rolling to sustain a state of health and wellness. Massage is one of the oldest
and most natural healing applications in human history. Avicenna (980 – 1037) gained
a very important position in the medical world with his most important work, the Canon
of Medicine, known as the holy book of medicine in the Western world. Different types of
massage were defined in the book. These were hard friction that braces the body, soft friction
that relaxes the body, repeated friction that reduces the amount of fat in the body,
moderately hard friction that improves the body, rough friction that leads the blood to
the surface rapidly, gentle friction that increases blood flow in the application area, preparatory
friction that prepares the body before exercise, and restorative friction that is
applied after exercise which alleviates exhaustion. It may be seen that Avicenna, whose work
shows influence of Greek and Roman physicians, was heavily influenced by Hippocrates and
Galen. It is seen that the massage techniques and effect mechanisms defined by Avicenna
about a thousand years ago have contributed a lot to the developments in massage through
the historical process.
Keywords
Avicenna; Canon of Medicine; massage
Hrčak ID:
223256
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2019.
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