The Physician is a historical drama playing party in 11 century England (London and
other villages) and then, after travel through Egypt in the town Isfahan of central iran
which is then an intellectual hub. It tells the story of a scholar who works first as a
kid in a mine, follows a travelling ``barber" to pursue study with the polymath
Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
played by Ben Kinsey. It shows the
Islamic golden age and already some trouble appearing, mostly due to
war and religion. Religion was similarly as in the west also a reason for doing
science as Mohammad told: "The scholar's ink is holier than the martyr's blood".
Astronomy was important for religious reasons and for
navigation. Mathematics had also sacred significance as well as for practical reasons like
measurements or trade. The word ``algebra" comes from ``al-jabr" restoring balance, mend broken
bones, which fits into the medical theme displayed in this movie. While math does not explicitly
appear, there is a scene where resonance is mentioned asn then there is
the scene of the ``music of the spheres". Aristotle is mentioned a couple of times
as he plays an important role in medieval islam.