Drawings and Pharmacy in Al-Zahrawi's 10th-Century Surgical Treatise

Drawings and Pharmacy in Al-Zahrawi's 10th-Century Surgical Treatise

Probably the earliest independent work in Arabic Spain to embrace the whole of medical knowledge of the time is the encyclopedic al-Tasrf, written in the late 10th century by Ab al-Qsim al-Zahrw, also known as Abulcasis. Consisting of 30 treatises, it is the only known work of al-Zahrw and it brought him high prestige in the western world. Here we are concerned only with his last treatise, on surgery. With its many drawings of surgical instruments, intended for the instruction of apprentices, its descriptions of formulas and medicinal preparations, and its lucid observations on surgical procedures, this treatise is perhaps the oldest of its kind. HE INTRODUCTION OF THE WRITINGS of Ab al-Qsim Khalaf ibn Abbs al-Zahrwbetter known as Abulcasis (d. ca. 1013)to Western Europe was through the Latin translation of his surgical treatise (maqlah) by Gerard of Cremona (d. 1187).1 The response to this treatise, thereafter, was much greater than the attention paid to the surgery of any of the three renowned physicians of the Eastern Caliphate: al-Rz (Latin, Rhazes, d. ca. 925), the greatest clinician in Arabic medicine; al-Majs (Haly Abbs, d. 994), the author of the encyclopedic medical work, al-Malak;2 84and Ibn Sn (Avicenna, 980-1037), the author of the famous al-Qnn f al-ibb, a codification of the whole of medical knowledge. Because of the widespread dissemination of this Latin version in medieval Europe beginning with the latter part of the 12th century, al-Zahrw attained more prestige in the West than he did in Arabic Spain, his native country, or in any other part of the Islamic world.3 ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 26038
Author: Hamarneh, Sami Khalaf
Release Date: Jul 12, 2008
Format: eBook
Language: English