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Vol. 19. Issue 3.
Pages 267-271 (January 2008)
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Vol. 19. Issue 3.
Pages 267-271 (January 2008)
Laqve (wry mouth) considered in Avicenna's renowned treatise the Canon of Medicine
Laqve (cara torcida), considerada en el famoso tratado de Avicena: el canon de la Medicina
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A. Aciduman
, A. Gunaydin
Ministry of Health Etlik Ihtisas Hospital, Neurosurgery Department. Ankara, Turkey
B. Arda*, D. Belen**
* Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ankara University School of Medicine. Ankara, Turkey
** Ministry of Health Diskapi Educational and Research Hospital, Neurosurgery Department. Ankara, Turkey
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Summary

Hemi-facial spasm, facial paralysis, and trigeminal neuralgia are prevailing signs and symptoms with which physicians have been coping for thousands of years. Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna in the West), who was among the leading figures during medieval ages and influenced the upcoming periods in the Eastern and Western hemispheres for long time, focused also on these crucial problems. In his principal medical work, the Canon of Medicine, Avicenna underlined the significance of wry mouth-related disorders and wrote a precise chapter over this topic with the heading “Laqve.” However, the term “laqve” is usually accepted only as facial paralysis in most of historical texts. Further detailed analysis of the text reveals that, all the abovementioned signs and symptoms are considered under the same heading. Therefore, the descriptions articulated by famous physician Avicenna pose great merit from the point of historical view of neurological sciences. The main aim of this article is to reintroduce essential parts of the text by adding comments over specific descriptions, and consequently, to make the text more comprehensible for today's scientists.

Key words:
Avicenna
Laqve
Facial paralysis
History of neurosurgery
Resumen

Hemiespasmo facial, parálisis facial y neuralgia del trigémino son signos y síntomas a los cuales se han enfrentado los médicos durante milenios. Ibn Sina, (conocido como Avicena en Occidente), que fue una de las figuras más importantes de la Edad Media e influyó tanto en Oriente como en Occidente a lo largo de muchos siglos, también prestó gran atención a estos problemas. En su principal trabajo médico, el “Canon de la Medicina”, destacó el significado de la “cara torcida” y escribió un capítulo especial sobre estos procesos con el título de “Laqve”. Sin embargo, el término “laqve” sólo se acepta como tal, en la mayoría de los textos históricos, cuando se refiere a la parálisis facial. El análisis detallado del texto revela que todos los signos y síntomas mencionados se incluyen en el mismo título. Por consiguiente, las descripciones articuladas por el famoso médico Avicena poseen un gran mérito desde el punto de vista histórico de las ciencias neurológicas. La finalidad principal de este artículo es reintroducir partes esenciales del texto, añadiendo comentarios sobre descripciones específicas y, como consecuencia, hacer el texto más comprensible para los científicos de hoy.

Palabras clave:
Avicena
Laqve
Parálisis facial
Historia Neurocirugía

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