Medical workers of Tajikistan celebrate their professional holiday — Medical Day — August 18. It commemorates the birthday of the brilliant Tajik-Persian scientist, philosopher and physician Abuali ibn Sino, better known as Avicenna (ca. 980–1037).
The holiday was established on the initiative of medical teams and the Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Tajikistan, and in 1995 the Parliament of the Republic included this day in the list of professional holidays.
The extraordinary oriental thinker and scientist Avicenna succeeded in various areas of science. But perhaps his most significant contribution to the development of medicine. The main medical work of Avicenna, the famous «Canon of Medical Science», combined all the ancient and modern knowledge of the author about the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases. This work became the most famous medical book created by an oriental scientist.
For centuries, Avicenna's «Canon» has been considered the main teaching aid in universities and has been a reference book for doctors in many countries in Asia and Europe. After the invention of printing (15th century), it was among the first books produced by printers. In the last years of the 15th century alone, Avicenna's «Canon» has gone through 16 editions. Until now, the book has been published in full about 40 times.
As a practicing physician, Avicenna systematized knowledge about medicine, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and laid the foundations of hygiene and recreational gymnastics.
The birthday of the famous doctor is celebrated in all medical institutions of Tajikistan. In Dushanbe, the capital of the republic, flowers are solemnly laid at the foot of the Avicenna memorial complex. This is followed by a ceremonial meeting at the Tajik State Medical University, which bears the name of Abuali ibn Sino. According to tradition, on this day the Ministry of Health gathers the best medical workers of the republic at the capital’s university to celebrate them with certificates and memorable gifts.