Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

The European knew him as Avicenna. One of the greatest minds of all time, and he knew it.  His large collection of works on a variety of topics (including music) is unprecedented.  I think that his major philosophical work, Al-Isharat wa-l-Tanbihat remains the largest philosophical work ever.  I was reading in his Al-Qanun (on Medicine) and this book remained used in European medical schools until the 16th century, while it was continued to be used in Muslim medical schools until the 19th century.  Read his section on the head and illnesses of the brain.  He talks about melancholy and treatments.  He relates treatment of diet, physical therapy, and medicine.  You read that and then remember that into medieval times and beyond, medicine in Europe was largely based on comparing the color of urine to the movement of the stars in the skies.  If a "doctor" were to declare that someone's urine indicate death, the person would be left to die.  Such matters make you realize that history-minded Muslims have a hard time still in accepting the superiority of the West.