Not be neglected: Galen’s description of critical headache

Excerpt

Recently , an article titled “Critical headache: reporting a type of headache in the acute stage of a disease, described by Avicenna” was published online in the Journal of Neurological Sciences [1]. We believe a few points should be mentioned regarding this article. Investigating historical backgrounds and roots of a topic is a necessity in reaching a comprehensive perspective in a study, since it may elucidate more aspects of the topic. In this case, examination of critical headache shows that Ibn Sina was not the first to describe this condition. Galen — as one of the leading figures between classical Greco-Latin masters of traditional medicine — is one of the renowned authors cited by Ibn Sina in Canon of Medicine, and also by other Persian scholars. In one of his works titled “Galen’s Therapeutics to Glaucon,” he has described critical headache, mentioning points not brought up by Ibn Sina. It, thus, seems that his account of this condition should be considered in line with Ibn Sina’s description [2]. …