

by Sami Ha marneh 



Probably the earliest independent work in Arabic Spain to embrace 

 the whole of medical knowledge of the time is the encyclopedic al- 

 Tasrif, tvritten in the late 10th century by Abu al-Qasim al- 

 Zahraivi, also known as Abulcasis. Consisting of 30 treatises, it is 

 the only known work of al-Zahraivt and it brought him high prestige 

 in the western world. 



Here ive are concerned only ivith his last treatise, on surgery. 

 With its many drawings of surgical instrmtietits, 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. 



Scholars today have available a translation of the text and repro- 

 ductiofis of the dratvings, but many of the latter are greatly modified 

 from the originals. 



This study reproduces examples of al-ZahratvY s original illustra- 

 tions, compares some ivith early dratvings based on them, and com- 

 ments on passages in the treatise of interest to students of pharmacy 

 and medical therapy. 



The Author: Sami Hamarneh undertook this research into the 

 history of medicine in connection with his duties as associate curator 

 of medical sciences in the United States 'Rational Museum, Smith- 

 sonian Institution. 



^ IHE INTRODUCTION OF THE WRIT- attention paid to the surgery of any of the three 



/iNGS of Abii al-Qasim Khalaf ibn 'Abbas renowned physicians of the Eastern CaUphate: al- 



^^_y al-Zahrawi— better known as Abulcasis (d. RazT (Latin, Rhazes, d. ca. 925), the greatest clinician 



ca. 1013)— to Western Europe was through the in Arabic medicine; al-Majtisi (Haly Abbas, d. 994), 



Latin translation of his surgical treatise (maqalah) the author of the encyclopedic medical work, al- 



by Gerard of Cremona (d. 1187).' The response to i George Sarton, /n/rorfudmn /o Me ffirfoy o/ ^nVncf, Baltimore, 



this treatise, thereafter, was much greater than the 1927, vol. 1, p. 681. 



PAPER 22: DRAWINGS AND PHARMACY IN AL-ZAHRAWfS SURGICAL TREATISE 83 



