Proceedings of the Conference Held to Commemorate the Translation of the Key to Medicine and a Guide for Students

In April 2010, a conference was held to launch the English-translated edition of The Key to Medicine and a Guide for Students (Garnet Publishing), an original 11th-century introductory book to medicine written by Abu al-Faraj 'Ali ibn al- Husayn Ibn Hindu (d.1032/423). Ibn Hindu's book discussed various disciplines that a medical student needed to be familiar with, including a lengthy digression into philosophy and logic. Ibn Hindu then dealt with matters specifically medical, devoting separate sections to anatomy, diseases, pulse, and names of medicinal substances. The conference - held by the Muhamad bin Hamad Al-Thani Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization - contained rich discourses and studies of Ibn Hindu's 11th-century book. Specialists in medicine, psychiatry, pharmacy, and Islamic studies, presented valuable research papers, documented with accurate information and evidenced with scientific analysis. The result is this current book, with sections in both Arabic and English text. Although not necessarily identical in their content, each of the two sections focuses on the study of the original 11th-century book, as well as a look at Ibn Hindu himself. The authors of the conference papers have studied this valuable medieval book from various perspectives, authenticating its treatises, analyzing its content, and evaluating its relevance to modern medicine.