Sami Khalaf Hamarneh

“ Al-Zahrāwī also devised and depicted many kinds and shapes of splints for use in simple and compound fractures of the head, shoulders, arms, fingers, etc. (see fig. 20) . For example, in discussing the reduction of the humerus, he recommends a splint consisting of a smooth, thin stick bent in the shape of a bow with two strings, each attached to one end of the stick (fig. 21) . The injured bone is then placed in the middle of the bent splint for reduction while the patient is seated on a chair. Tying is applied only when there is no "hot" swelling (chapter 11) . ”

“ The few examples of illustrations of surgical instruments given here indicate that the Arabic manuscripts, in general, have preserved the original, oriental, artistic features of the drawings in a way that has been overlooked in Latin and vernacular versions of al-Taṣrīf.
In presenting his personal observations and original ideas on surgery late in life, al-Zahrāwī, for the most part, was inspired by a thorough acquaintance with Greek and Arabic medical literature supplemented by lifelong intelligent observation and experience. ”

“ Al-Zahrāwī gently refutes the superstition that cautery is "good only in springtime," and states that under the right conditions of the body’s humors it could be used in all seasons."17 Although he recommends cautery rather highly, he never minimizes the importance of treatment by drugs. Actually, he encourages the use of drugs, before, with, and after cauterization.18 For example, in chapter 16 on "the cauterization of eyelid when its hair grows reversedly into the eye," he recommends treatment by cautery and by medicine. ”

“ Bottom, from Argellata 1531, courtesy National Library of Medicine.
The question arises as to whether al-Zahrāwī did any human dissection. The answer is uncertain because our knowledge of his life is fragmentary. However, he gives no clue to the dissection of humans in any of the 30 treatises of al-Taṣrīf—his only known writings—and there is no evidence that he practiced it in secret. His upright attitude as a Muslim who repeatedly emphasized his adherence to his faith suggests that he relied completely on animal dissection and the writings of his Greek-Roman and Islamic predecessors. ”

“ Such description of the use of a "bladder syringe" in the late 10th century clearly points to the practical and interesting approach to surgery in al-Taṣrīf. Moreover, his description of the removal of a stone from the bladder—an operation we now call lithotomy—is considered a contribution to bladder surgery.
One of the earliest recorded operations for the extractions of two dead fetuses from the womb is clearly described in chapter 76. The account of this case shows not only al-Zahrāwī’s intelligent approach as a shrewd observer but also his clinical and surgical ability. ”

“ Physicians in both the Islamic domain and in Christendom for many centuries were hostile to the idea of human dissection for any purpose because of their traditional socio-religious convictions, considering it an unethical and undignified practice. ”

“ The Arabic manuscripts studied for the present article are not the same as those used by Leclerc. See also Leclerc’s monumental work, Histoire de la Médecine Arabe, Paris, 1876, vol. 1, pp. 453-457.
9 Ernst Gurlt, Geschichte der Chirurgie und ihrer Ausübung Volkschirurgie-Alterthum-Mittelalter-Renaissance, Berlin, 1898, vol. 1, pp. 620-649, with more than 100 figures. In the text and illustrations, Gurlt relied upon Leclerc’s translation and modified drawings of the surgical instruments; nevertheless, he presents a brief, systematic study—probably the best so far—of the entire treatise. ”