Ibn Sina (981-1037), known in the West by the name of Avicenna, was a famous physician who was the first to describe meningitis. His major contribution to medical science was the al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, known as the Canon in the West where it was translated into Latin in the twelfth century. The Qanun covers general medicine, drugs, diseases affecting all parts of the body, anatomy, and pathology. Avicenna's work grew from a well-established body of Islamic medical knowledge, which built upon Greek, Persian, and Indian sources. Its influence extended throughout Islamic lands and into Europe and the Far East. Out of this tradition arose concepts of preventive medicine, hospitals, and pharmacies. The hospital was one of the great achievements of medieval Islamic society, driven by a moral imperative to treat all the ill regardless of financial or social status, religion, sex, or age.