In the heritage of Islamic medicine, the names of tens of outstanding physicians and hundreds of medical works are shining, but the name of Avicenna and his book of Canon in the Islamic east and the Christian west (See: Part Two) enjoys a specific position. Since the age of Avicenna up to the present, more than 200 commentaries, annotations, abridgements and translations in different languages of his book of Canon have been made (15). These statistics is unprecedented as compared with the works of other Islamic physicians.

Commentaries, annotations, abridgments, translations and frequent manuscripts of Canon indicate that the book was used as a textbook and instructors and students of medical sciences were giving attention to the medical school of Avicenna (3).

The date from which the Canon was taught dates back to the age of Avicenna himself. According to Abu Ubayd al-Juzjāni, a pupil and a close companion of Avicenna, the students used to come together at the residence of Sheikh al-Raiss (Avicenna′s title) every night and studied his book of Canon and Shifā one by one under his instruction (16).

Ibn Abi Usaybaa also in presenting the biography of Ibn Abi Sādiq, one of the students of Avicenna, speaks about the great fame, broad knowledge and multiplicity of the students of Avicenna (16).

In the history of Islamic medical education, the book of Canon has a specific and out-standing position (17). According to Elgood (8), it was the most prevailing text book in the Islamic World.

Qifti (18) also reiterates that the students were primarily reading the book of al-Maliki by Ali Ibn Abbass al-Ahawazi, but after the emergence of Canon, the book written by Ahwazi was gradually forgotten (17). Arudhi Samarqandi also in Chahar Maqaleh (19) considers Canon as the successor of all medical works and as the best textbook. In Iran and Persian speaking territories, after the compilation of Zakhira Khawrazmshahi, teaching the original text of Canon was diminished.

Elgood states: In the Safavid period, two books were used by the students of medicine: One of them was Canon by Avicenna (usually its annotations and Persian summary) and the other was Zakhira Khawrazmshahi (20). Of course Elgood (20) is in the opinion that Zakhira does not have a big difference with Canon and in writing the book of Zakhira, Jurjani was so much under the influence of the book of Canon by Avicenna (21).

In the Indian sub-continent also the main text of medicine was Canon by Avicenna and its summaries such as Al-Mūjaz fi al-Tibb by Ibn al-Nafis from Damascus and Canuncha by Chaghmini (9, 17).

In addition to Iran and Indian subcontinent, in Egypt and Sham (the former Syria), the book of Canon was also received warmly.

Based on the reports of Ibn Abi Usaybaa, it is learned that teaching and interpreting Canon was prevalent in Egypt and Sham. Afzal al-din Alkhonji, Hakim Baha al-din, Fakhr al-din al-Mardini and Hakim Mohazzab al-din were among the instructors of Canon in Cairo and Damascus (16).

The last mentioned instructor encouraged his students to memorize the first book of Canon (Kitab al-Kollyyat, The Generalities).

One of his students, Hakim Shams al-Din, memorized the first book of Canon fully and for this reason he was titles as Al-Kolli, attributing to the book of al- Kolyyiat by Avicenna (16).

The story of the scientific trips of Qutb al-din of Shiraz, the scientist of the 7^th century A.H, to Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Sham and Anatolia (The Minor Asia) in order to compile a book on annotations of Canon known as al-Tohfa tal-Saadia and his access to different explanations about Canon and his meeting with experts of Canon (Canonologist) and the famous instructors of Canon indicate the extraordinary significance of this book and its prevailing influence in the Islamic territories outside Iran (22). It seems that the book of Canon by Avicenna was not received warmly in Andalusia (Spain).

Possibly, the Spanish physicians were intending to make the medical school of Andalusia (Islamic west) independent from the medical school of the Islamic east (Avicenna medicine).

This claim is confirmed by the sharp and frantic reaction of Ibn Zuhr (b.525), when a tradesman from Iraq for the first time brought the book of Canon to Andalusia and offered that to him (16).

Though, Smith (21) believes that it needs further study to confirm that whether or not, the medicine of Islamic Spain had a less reliance on the Avicenna medicine. However, the historical documents confirm the superiority of Avicenna medicine over medical school of Andalusia, because in the Translation House of Toledo and universities of the Europe, it was the Canon of Avicenna which absorbed the attention of the western physicians to itself not the works of the Spanish physicians (See: Second Part).

In addition to all these explanations, annotations and summaries it is worthy of mentioning among others for example a supplement that has written by Ibn Sāāti on the Treatise of Colic by Avicenna (16), critics, in particular a critic by Ibn Nafis from Damascus, on duties of the organs of body (Wazayif al-Aazā) in the book of Canon (which led to the discovery of blood lung circulation) (9) and translations (see: second part) which indicate the influence of Avicenna on enrichment of the literature of Islamic medicine. Perhaps, this word by Nasr can be cautiously accepted who said: "The book of Canon by Avicenna is the combination of all medical knowledge of the past and infrastructure of all later publications" (23, 24).

The contextual review of books such as Zakhira Khawrazmshahi in the 12th century (17, 20) and the Khulāsa al-Tajāribb by Bahā al-Dawla in the 16th century (8, 20) confirm the mentioned claim (8, 16, 21, 25).

Since the second half of the twelfth century when the Canon of Avicenna was translated into the Latin in Toledo in Spain, gradually, the Avicenna medicine dominated the atmosphere of the western medicine. Since then, most of the medical works of Avicenna has been translated into different languages and also hundreds of scientific and research works were written about his medicine (1). The fame and scientific dominancy of Avicenna in the western lands was to the extent that he was named as Emir (Ruler) of the Physicians (3) and his book of Canon was termed as the Medicine Bible (26).

For centuries in the west, the standard of ability in medicine was skillfulness in the Avicenna medicine (9, 27). Despite the anti-Arabic/ Islamic movement in the beginning of the 16^th century in some European countries and the hard stances of figures such as Davinchi and Paracelsus against the Avicenna medicine, there was a strong fortress round the Avicenna in the west which was never collapsed (8), and even his influence continued up to first half of the past century in some of the western countries such as Belgium (2, 8). Ternovsky (11) also believes that the medical science of the former Soviet Union in subjects such as physiology, diagnosis of internal diseases, sport and health, pediatrics and pharmacology in the first half of the 20^th century were following and relying on the traditions of the Avicenna medicine (10). However, the high importance and the immense influence of Avicenna in the history of medicine in the west should be pursued in the position and presence of his medical works in the curriculum of some of the prestigious faculties of the Europe.

There are evidences indicating that book of Canon by Avicenna was noticed up to the early 20^th century in some of the scientific centers of the west (See: above). But at least for five centuries – since 13^th to 17^th – it was one of the textbooks of most of the faculties of medicine in the Europe (3).

The first university in the Europe which put the book of Canon formally as the base of its medical education was the University of Bologna (the oldest European university) in Italy in the 13^th century (28). Other European universities in which teaching the book of Canon was presented in their educational programs were Leuven in Belgium, Mont-pellier in France (3) and Krakow in Poland (27). When in the 14^th century, the first faculty of medicine in the Krakow University of Poland was established, the works of Avicenna were the bases of educational materials. It was envisaged in the approved curriculum of the mentioned faculty (approved in 1536) that the students of medicine should study parts of the first and the fourth book of Canon for their theoretical and practical courses (27). Moreover, in (1475), Professor Jelonk also published a book as a guide to teach the first book of Canon, Kitāb al- Kolyyāt, (27).

The various translations and frequent prints of the book of Canon in the Europe was the result of the global importance of this book and a response to the needs of the medicine educational centers. The book of Canon was for the first time translated into Latin by Gerard de Cremona – the greatest translator of the school of Toledo – in the late 12^th century (8). Later on, in the early 16^th century, Andréa Alpago, the physician and orientalist, corrected and edited the translation of Gerard (9).

This very Latin translation of Canon and also along with its Arabic text have been printed and published for about 40 times in the Europe including Milan (1473), Padua (1476), Venice (1482, 1507, 1544, 1591, 1708) and Rome (1593) (1, 3, 17, 29). In addition to the Latin language, all or parts of Canon has been translated and published in the European languages such as Russian (11, 4), Polish (27), German (1) and English (8). The Hebrew translation of Canon was published in Napoli in 1941 (3).

In addition to Canon, other medical works of Avicenna has been received by the translators and physicians of the west. Al-Urjūza fi al-Tibb which is the summary of Avicenna medicine in poetry form (including 1326 couplets) was translated by Gerard de Cremona in Latin and published for six times in the Europe during 15^th to 17^th centuries (3). The first print of this translation along with the annotations by Ibn Rushd was published in Venice in 1485 (3). The French translation of the mentioned work also (along with Arabic text and Latin translation) were printed and published in 1956 (3). One of the important works of Avicenna is a book about the treatment of kidney diseases which was translated by Andrea Alpago into Latin and published in Venice in 1547 (3). Also, the Latin translation of heart medicines under the title Medicamenta Cordialis was translated by Arnold of Villanova and published in 1482 (3, See also: 8).