English: A physician talking to a patient in a garden: This lacquer miniature on the cover of the 'Canon' depicts a youth and a physician who takes his pulse, while beside sits a young girl and two other physicians preparing medicine. It has been thought that this is an illustration of a legend about Avicenna (died 1037) and a certain young prince of Gurgan (by the Caspian Sea) who became sick of a malady which nobody could treat. Avicenna was invited to give his opinion. By keeping his finger on the youth's pulse, he requested that someone who knew all the towns of the province should repeat their names. At the mention of a certain town, he felt a flutter in the pulse. "Now", he said, "Let someone mention all the houses, streets, and quarters of the town". Again, a certain street was mentioned and the same phenomenon was repeated; and a third time, when the names of the inhabitants of a certain household were enumerated. It came out that the youth was in love with a girl. The therapy suggested by Avicenna was to allow the couple to get married.

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