Tuberculosis (Phthisis)

The Disease is Material

According to Allama Tabari, tuberculosis (phthisis) is not limited to the lungs; it can affect other organs as well.

Some books suggest:

(1) Tuberculosis (pulmonary phthisis) is always accompanied by fever (tubercular fever).

(2) Tubercular fever is a simple type of heat (hararat saada).

These points raise certain questions:

* Is tuberculosis a non-material disease?

* If it is material, then what is the meaning of the simplicity attributed to tubercular fever, which is considered a concomitant symptom of tuberculosis?

Abu Al-Hasan Ahmed bin Muhammad Tabari, the author of Mualajat Al-Buqratiya, has effectively addressed these questions. Below are his golden statements on the subject:

Allama Tabari Views

(1)  Tuberculosis is a material disease caused by corrosive and acrid humors (akhlat haadda akkaal).

(2) The same material that affects the lungs can also harm other organs. According to Tabari, their nature is essentially the same.

Allama Tabari Statements

First Statement

Tuberculosis is an ulceration of the lungs caused by the deposition of acrid and corrosive humors, which leads to ulceration in the lungs.

Second Statement

Other diseases that ultimately result in tuberculosis, such as kidney inflammations, large abscesses (khurajaat azeema), carbuncles, anal fistulae (nasoor maq’ad), and similar ailments, do not have a separate nature or essence.

Instead, they belong to the same category as pulmonary tuberculosis. The same principle applies to all these diseases, which should be regarded as akin to lung ulcers caused by tuberculosis (qarha riya siliya).

From Tabari’s statement, it becomes clear that

* kidney inflammations, abscesses, carbuncles, anal fistulae, and many other diseases are caused by tubercular material (mada siliya).

*When this material somehow reaches the lungs, it results in pulmonary tuberculosis. This explanation not only proves that other organs can be affected by tubercular material but also shows that diseases in these organs can sometimes become the cause or medium for lung tuberculosis.

Hakim Azam Khan Explanation

Hakim Azam Khan writes:

The second cause of tuberculosis is the transfer of material from another organ to the lungs.

 *That is, the type of material that causes tuberculosis may exist in another organ, and when it spreads to the lungs, it creates ulcers and causes tuberculosis.

Modern Medicine Endorsement

The latest findings in modern medicine align with Allama Tabars golden insights. Modern research elaborates in detail how tubercular material spreads to various internal organs through blood vessels (waridoun) and lymphatic vessels (urooq jaaziba and urooq maaiya).

Sometimes, external tubercular ulcers, tumors, and localized tubercular diseases can also cause pulmonary tuberculosis.

Similarly, just as pulmonary tuberculosis affects other organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, peritoneum, intestines, brain, and even the heart, tubercular diseases of these organs can also lead to tuberculosis in the lungs.