[Avicenna on the musculoskeletal system].

A great scientist encyclopaedist of the Middle ages Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in his brillant work "Cannon of medical science" systematized and interpreted the achievments of medical sciences, made his contribution into medical theory and practice. If we take together all the data on bones and muscles presented by him in his "Cannon of medical science" and arrange them in the sequence they are given in the body, a graceful systematized table of scientific knowlege on bones and muscles--a prototype of future osteology and myology will be obtained. In the "Canon of medical science" sources of the functional trend in morphology are layed: structure of the osseous and muscular systems is closely connected with the practical medicine. In his work Ibn Sina gives a correct and precise description of anatomical structure of the osseous system and bone functions, and the muscular system, in particular. A thorough study of the "Canon of medical science" clearly demonstrates that Ibn Sina made a great contribution, for his time, into the development of anatomy, not only successfully followed his predecessors, but greatly extended their scientific researches and corrected their errors.