Principles of Unani Medicine
In order to understand even a little about the complex interactions which can lead to disease in the Unani-Tibb perspective, one needs to first define the factors which together must be considered by a Hakim. For clarity and brevity, I know of no author who has surpassed Hunayn Ibn Ishaq on this subject. In the 9th century Arabic text Al Masalil fi al-Tibb lil Mutalallimin he introduces this subject in a question and answer format:
Q.Into how many parts is medicine divided?
A.Into two parts.
Q.What are they?
A.Theory and practice.
Q.Into how many parts is theory divided?
A.Into three parts.
Q.What are they?
A.(First) The theory of naturals, from which pathology is deduced by the deviation of the naturals from their normal states. (Second) The theory of causes. (Third) The theory of signs.
NATURALS
Q.How many are the naturals?
A.Seven things.
Q.And what are they?
A.Elements, temperaments, humours, organs, forces, actions, and spirits.
Q.How many are the elements?
A.Four.
Q.What are they?
A.Fire, air, water, and earth.
Q.What is the force of fire?
A.Hot and dry.
Q.What is the force of air?
A.Hot and wet.
Q.What is the force of water?
A.Cold and wet.
Q.What is the force of earth?
A.Cold and dry.
TEMPERAMENTS
Q.How many are the kinds of temperaments?
A.The kinds of temperaments are nine: eight non-equable and one equable. Of the eight non-equable, four are single: hot, cold, wet, and dry; and four are compound: hot and dry, hot and wet, cold and dry, and cold and wet.
HUMOURS
Q.How many are the humours?
A.Four: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.
Q.What is the force of blood?
A.Hot and wet.
Q.What is the force of phlegm?
A.Cold and wet.
Q.What is the force of yellow bile?
A.Hot and dry.
Q.What is the force of black bile?
A.Cold and dry.
Q.How many are the kinds of phlegm?
A.Five.
Q. What are they?
A.The salty which is the hottest and driest kind; the sweet, that tends to be hot and wet; the acid that inclines to be cold and dry; the one that resembles molten glass and is called vitreous, which is the coldest, wettest, and thickest kind; the kind that has no taste and is purely cold and wet, and is called tasteless, i.e. insipid.
Q. How many are the kinds of yellow bile?
A.Five: one is bright red; this is the natural and original; it takes origin in the liver. Another is yellow and it originates in a mixture of the aqueous humour with bright red bile. Forthis reason, it is less hot than the others. Another resembles egg yolk; it originates in a mixture of thick phlegmonous moisture with bright red bile; for this reason, it is even less hot than the others. Another is of the colour of leek; it mostly originates in the stomach. Another resembles verdigris and rust and the venom of venomous animals; it originates from intense combustion; this is why this kind is excessively hot and tends to be bad.
Q.How many are the kinds of black bile and what are its power?
A.Two kinds. One is the natural and original; it is like the turbidity and residue of blood; it is called black humour and is in reality cold and dry; the other differs from its natural condition and originates from the combustion of the other humours; this is the one truly called black bile; it is hotter and drier than the first; it is endowed with sharpness; its quality is bad and destructive.
ORGANS
Q.How many are the kinds of organs?
A.Four. Some are principal organs, comparable to elements and metals; these are four: the brain, the heart, the liver, and the two testicles (in the female, the two ovaries). Others are servants to these principal organs: I mean that the brain is served by nerves; the heart by arteries; the liver by veins, and the testicles by spermatic vessels.
Of the organs, some possess innate forces that assure their support and their maintenance in their right condition; that is, they are self-regulating, like bone, cartilage, lining membranes, fat, and flesh. Others, like the stomach, intestines, kidney, spleen, and muscle, possess (both) innate forces within themselves, and other forces that flow into them from the principal organs. These organs indeed possess innate forces attracting nutrients, altering them, and effectuating their other activities in a normal way. In addition, they possess forces that flow from these principal organs and that minister either only to sensation and life, or to mediating voluntary movements as well.
FORCES
Q.How many are the kinds of forces?
A.Three: natural, vital, and psychic.
Q.How many are the kinds of natural forces?
A.Two. Those served by others and those that are servant to others.
Q.How many are the kinds of served natural forces?
A.Three: the generative, the growth-promoting, and the nutritive.
Q.How many are the kinds of servant natural forces?
A.Four: the attractive, the retentive, the digestive, and the propulsive. These serve the nutritive forces, as the nutritive force serves the growth-promoting force. The generative force is served by two other forces, the first alterative, and the second alterative, which is the formative force.
Q.What is the difference between the first and second alterative forces?
A.The first alters and serves the generative force without shaping, while the second alters and serves the nutritive force by shaping.
Q.What are the actions of the formative force?
A.Creating form, hollowness.. openings, roughness, and smoothness.
Q.How many are the kinds of vital forces?
A.Two: the active and the acted upon. The active are, the force that causes the heart and arteries to dilate, and the force that causes their contraction. The acted upon are the forces that underlie anger, contempt, and competition for victory, leadership, fame and emotions.
Q.How many are the kinds of psychic forces?
A.Three: one mediates behaviour; one moves by volition; and one serves sensation. The forces that mediate behaviour are three: the one that serves imagination, the force that creates thinking; and the force that underlies memory and retention. The forces that move by volition are those that move the muscles by which organs of voluntary movement move. The sensory forces are five: vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Q.Where do natural forces start?
A.In the liver.
Q.Where do vital forces start?
A.In the heart.
Q. Where do psychic forces start?
A.In the brain.
ACTIONS
Q.How many are the kinds of actions?
A.Two kinds. Some are single. These are the actions that are achieved each by a single force, like attrac tion, retention, digestion, and propulsion. Others are compound. These are achieved by two or more forces. Examples are appetite and penetration of nutriment; for appetite is achieved by the action of two forces: the attractive, and the sensitive retentive force; penetration is also achieved by the action of two forces: the attractive and the propulsive.
SPIRITS
Q.How many are the spirits?
A.Three: the natural spirit, the vital spirit, and the psychic spirit. The natural spirit emanates from the liver, penetrates through the veins into the whole body, and is servant to the natural forces. The vital spirit emanates from the heart, penetrates through the arteries into the whole body, and is servant to the vital forces. The psychic spirit emanates from the brain, penetrates through the nerves into the whole body and is servant to the psychic forces.