Vol. 9, Issue - 3, Part B (2025)

Unveiled Mahiyat-e-Maraḍi (pathogenesis) of Dhayābitus through the prism of unani medicine: A critical review

Background:Dhayābitus (Diabetes Mellitus) is one of the prehistoric anciently recognized disease, with references dating back over 3500 years. The Ebers Papyrus (1550 BCE) described frequent urination, while Greco-Roman physicians such as Hippocrates and Aretaeus of Cappadocia acknowledged the wasting nature of the disease and forged the term diabetes ("siphon"). In Indian Ayurvedic texts, disease is referred to as Madhumeha, and Chinese medicine describes itas sweet urine that attracts insects.

Objective:To explore the historical evolution, classical understanding, and Unani concept of Dhayābitus, including its classification (Aqsam), etiology (Asbāb), clinical features (Alamat), andMahiyat-e-Maraḍī(etiopathogenesis).

Methods:A analysis ofprimary classical Unanitexts and comparative historical accounts, emphasizing on the works of eminent physicians including Rāzī, Ibn Sīnā, Jurjānī, and Ibn Zuhr, Akbar Arzanias well as the perspectives of Greco-Roman, Indian, Chinese, and Arabic-Islamic contributors.

Results:Unani scholars depicted Dhayābitus Shakri (Diabetes Mellitus), primarily as a disorder of the kidneys associated with a deranged temperament of the kidney (Sūʾ-i-Mizāj). The cardinal symptoms included intense thirst (ʿAtash Shadīd), excessive urination (Kasrat-i-Bawl), wasting (Huzāl), and sweet urine (Bawl Shīrīn). Pathogenesis was attributed to derangement of Quwwat Jādhiba (absorptive faculty), weakness of Quwwat Māsika (retentive faculty), and hyperactivity of Quwwat Dāfiʿa (expulsive faculty). Four principal causes were identified:(1) Sūʾ-i-Mizāj Ḥārr Kulya (abnormal hot temperament of the kidney), (2) Duʿf-i-Kulya (weakness of the kidney), (3) Ittisāʿ al-Kulya wa Majārī (dilatation of kidneys and urinary passages), and (4) Burūdat-i-Mizāj (cold derangement). Complications encompassed Diqq (emaciation), Zubūl al-Aʿḍāʾ (cachexia), boils, gangrene, and sexual dysfunction (impotency).