





V 



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Figure 21. — A splint to support the arm. 

 Top, from original Arabic manuscript (Cod. 

 N.F. 476A), courtesy Oesterreichische Na- 

 tionalbibliothek. Bottom, from Argellata 

 1 53 1, courtesy National Library of Medicine, 



with white-of-egg to a medium consistency, and 

 apply." Another, more elaborate, recipe calls for 

 10 dirhams each of the roots of wild pomegranate 

 [Glossosiemon brugieri D.C.], chickling vetch [the grass 

 pea, Lathymus sativus], and white marshmallow; 5 

 dirhams each of myrrh and aloes; 6 dirhams of white 

 gum Arabic [Acacia] ; and 20 dirhams of bole [friable 

 earthy clay consisting largely of hydrous silicates of 

 aluminum and magnesium, usually colored red 

 because of impurities of iron oxide] . Procedure was 

 to pound all ingredients gently, pass them through 

 a sieve, and knead with water or white-of-egg (chapter 



1). _ 



The question arises as to whether al-Zahrawi did 

 any human dissection. The answer is uncertain be- 

 cause our knowledge of his life is fragmentary. How- 

 ever, he gives no clue to the dissection of humans in 

 any of the 30 treatises of al-TasriJ — 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 sug- 



gests that he relied completely on animal dis.section 

 and the writings of his Greek-Roman and Islamic 

 predecessors. Physicians in both the Islamic domain 

 and in Christendom for many centuries were hostile 

 to the idea of human dissection for any purpose be- 

 cause of their traditional socio-religious convictions, 

 considering it an unethical and undignified practice. 

 Perhaps it has been al-Zahrawi's original contribu- 

 tions to surgery, his enthusiasm in emphasizing the 

 value of anatomical knowledge, and his recognition of 

 the necessity that only well-educated, well-trained 

 doctors should perform surgery that have led some 

 medical historians to wonder whether he did human 

 dissection at some time in his long years of experience. 



In Summary 



The few examples of illustrations of surgical instru- 

 ments 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-Tasrif. 



In presenting his personal observations and original 

 ideas on surgery late in life, al-Zahrawi, for the most 

 part, was inspired by a thorough acquaintance with 

 Greek and Arabic medical literature supplemented 

 by lifelong intelligent observation and experience. 



Through its descriptions and illustrations, the sur- 

 gical treatise of al-Zahrawi very likely played a 

 significant role in the designing of improved surgical 

 instruments in the Middle Ages. Also, the treatise no 

 doubt promoted the development of improved sur- 

 gical techniques in Islam and, through its translations, 

 promoted these techniques to an even greater extent 

 in the West, a fact that justifies the fame of this 

 treatise as the highest expression of the development 

 of surgery in Arabic Spain — a treatise whose influence 

 continued to the Renaissance. It contributed in no 

 small measure to the idea of equipping learned and 

 well-trained surgeons with the best surgical tools and 

 techniques of the time; moreover, it encouraged the 

 invention of new instruments to meet diff"ering cir- 

 cumstances and special conditions. These tools no 

 doubt greatly facilitated the work of the surgeon. 



Throughout the text of al-TasriJ al-Zahrawi gave 

 careful attention to the importance of pharmaceuti- 

 cal preparations in the healing art, including cases 

 requiring surgery. 



94 



BULLETIN 228: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



