A Concise History of Science in India c8.s9.23

c8.s9.23

But it would be a mistake to suppose that the Indian Hakims made no independent contribution to the so-called *Tibbi-Unani*. The author of the *Khulastuʼt-Tajárib*, after summarizing the Greek theories mainly according to Avicenna, described a large number of diseases and their treatment, gave clinical description of many cases and mentioned the medicaments according to the Greek as well as the Āyurvedic system. He laid it down that in the science of medicine experience is the basic principle of treatment. He described several diseases including whooping cough which were not recognized in Europe for centuries after him. He has referred to Greek authors but very seldom to Āyurvedic works. Hakim Sharif Khan (A.D. 1725–1806) in his *Tálifi-Sharifi* collected together the names of such Indian drugs as he had tried and found useful. In his *Tuhfa-ʻAlam Sháhi* he has discussed the properties of various Indian diets and has remarked that a patient may be easily cured by the use of proper diets only.