What time period was the Cannon of Medicine in?

Question

Options

• AAncient
• BModern
• CMedieval
• DPrehistoric

• B
  3% (1)
• C
  94% (30)
• D
  3% (1)

Explanation

C (Medieval) is correct because the Canon of Medicine (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb) was written by the Persian physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna) around 1025 AD - squarely within the Medieval period (roughly 500–1500 AD). It became one of the most influential medical texts in both Islamic and European universities throughout the Middle Ages.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Ancient): Ancient medicine refers to civilizations like Greece, Egypt, and Rome - Ibn Sina wrote centuries after those eras ended.
• B (Modern): The Modern era begins around the 15th–16th century; the Canon predates the Scientific Revolution and Renaissance medicine.
• D (Prehistoric): Prehistoric means before written records - the Canon is a meticulously written, structured encyclopedia, the opposite of prehistoric.

Memory tip: Link "Canon" to "medieval canon law" - both are authoritative texts from the same era. Ibn Sina's Canon was the canonical medical authority of the Medieval world.

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