ABU MERWAN ABDALMALEC EBN ZOHR, an eminent Arabian physician, flourished about the end of the eleventh or the beginning of the twelfth century. He was of noble descent, and born at Seville, the capital of Andalusia, where he exercised his profession with great reputation. His grandfather and father were both physicians. The large estate he inherited from his ancestors, set him above practising altogether for gain: he therefore took no fees from the poor, or from artificers, though he refused not the presents of princes and great men. His liberality was extended even to his enemies; for which reason he used to say, that they hated him not for any fault of his, but rather out of envy. Dr Freind writes, that he lived to the age of 135; that he began to practise at 40, or (as others say) at 20; and had the advantage of a longer experience than almost any one ever had, for he enjoyed perfect health to his last hour. He left a son, known also by the name of Ebn Zohr, who followed his father's profession, was in great favour with Al Manzur emperor of Morocco, and wrote several treatises of physic.

Avenzoar was cotemporary with Averroes, who, according to Leo Africanus, heard the lectures of the former, and learned physic of him; this seems the more probable, because Averroes more than once gives Avenzoar a very high and deserved encomium, calling him "admirable, glorious, the treasure of all knowledge, and the most supreme in physic from the time of Galen to his own." Avenzoar, notwithstanding, is by the generality of writers reckoned an empiric: but Dr Freind observes, that this character suits him less than any of the rest of the Arabians. "He was bred," continues that author, "in a physical family, his father and grandfather being both practitioners, whom he always remembers with great gratitude and honour. We have his own testimony that he had a regular education; and that he not only learned what properly belongs to a physician, but, out of a great desire of knowledge, every thing besides which relates to pharmacy or surgery." Dr Freind afterwards observes, "that he was averse to quackery, and rejects the idle superstitions of astrologers; and throughout all his works professes himself so much of the dogmatical or rational sect, which was directly opposite to the empirical, that he has a great deal of reasoning about the causes and symptoms of distempers; and as in his theory he chiefly, if not only, follows Galen, so he quotes him upon all occasions, oftener than the rest of the Arabians do. Notwithstanding he is so Galenic, there are several particulars in him which seldom or ever occur in other authors; and there are some cases which he relates from his own experience; which are worth perusing." He wrote a book entitled, Tayassir fi'mddawat w'aladabir, i.e. "The method of preparing medicines and diet;" which is much esteemed. This work was translated into Hebrew, in the year of Christ 1280, and thence into Latin by Paravius, whose version has had several editions. The author added a supplement to it, under the title of Jâmid, or a Collection. He also wrote a treatise Fil'adwiyat wa'lauqhdiyat, i.e. "Of Medicines and Food;" wherein he treats of their qualities.