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Avicenna (France)

The stamp

This stamp was issued in France on 14 November 2005. We have several stamps depicting Avicenna in the collection.

The doctor

Avicenna (c.980 - 1037) was born around 980 in Persia (now Iran). He has also been called Ibn Sīnā or Abu Ali Sin. He was a doctor but also a noted polymath with a broad breadth of knowledge.

He wrote a large book of medicine and surgery called Avicenna’s Canon.

The urology connection

Avicenna wrote about many aspects of medicine and surgery.

He drew some instruments, which may have been used for early bladder stone surgery. He also wrote about uroscopy (the examination of the urine to diagnose illnesses). This was especially popular from ancient to mediaeval times, but to some extent is still done today when a patient bring in his or her "sample" to be tested.

Click here to read about uroscopy in the Library section of the Virtual Museum.

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