Al-Zahrawi (936-1013 AD): On the Surgical Treatment of Neurological Disorders by the Father of Operative Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Medical knowledge during the medieval ages flourished under the influence of great scholars of the Islamic Golden age such as Ibn Sina (Latinized as Avicenna), Abu Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes), and Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas al-Zahrawi, known as Albucasis. Much has been written on al-Zahrawi's innovation in various disciplines of medicine and surgery. In this article, we focus for on the contributions of al-Zahrawi toward the treatment of neurological disorders in the surgical chapters of his medical encyclopedia, Kitab al-Tasrif (The Method of Medicine). METHODS: Excerpts from a modern copy of volume 30 of al-Zahrawi's Kitab al-Tasrif were reviewed and translated by the primary author from Arabic to English, to further provide specific details regarding his neurosurgical knowledge. In addition, a literature search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar to review prior reports on al-Zahrawi's neurosurgical instructions. RESULTS: In addition to what is described in the literature of al-Zahrawi's teachings in cranial and spine surgery, we provide insight into his diagnosis and management of cranial and spinal trauma, the devices he used, and prognostication of various traumatic injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Al-Zahrawi was a renowned physician during the Islamic Golden age who made significant contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions, particularly cranial and spinal cord injuries. He developed innovative surgical techniques for trephination and spinal traction, which are still used in modern neurosurgery. His insights make him worthy of recognition as an important figure in the history of neurological surgery.

Avicenna's pharmacopeia for the treatment of animal bites.

Envenomation is a common medical problem. The Canon of Medicine written by Avicenna is one of the reliable sources of Persian medicine. The present study aims to identify Avicenna's clinical pharmacology approach and the pharmacopeia used for the treatment of animal envenomations and also to evaluate the related data in light of the current medicine. The Canon of Medicine was searched using related Arabic keywords for the contents about the treatment of animal bites. A literature search was conducted in scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to obtain relevant data. Avicenna recommended one hundred and eleven medicinal plants for the treatment of bites of vertebrate and invertebrate venomous animals including snakes, scorpions, spiders, wasps, and centipedes. He mentioned different methods of administrating these drugs including oral drugs, lotions, sprayed drugs, slow-dissolving tablets in the mouth, and enemas. Moreover, he paid special attention to pain relief in addition to specific treatments for animal bites. In the Canon of Medicine, Avicenna recommended several medicinal plants alongside analgesics for the management and treatment of animal envenomations. The current research elucidates the clinical pharmacology and pharmacopeia of Avicenna for the treatment of animal envenomations. Further research is encouraged to evaluate the efficacy of these therapeutic agents for the treatment of animal bites.

The Science of Sleep in Medieval Arabic Medicine: Part 2: Sleep Theory and Practice After Ibn Sina.

In this second article on medieval Arabic medical discussions on sleep, I show that Ibn Sina's pneumatic paradigm of sleep opened up new research pathways for subsequent physicians in Islamic societies. Opposing those who posit a decline in scientific activity post-1200 in these societies, I show that Ibn al-Nafis (d. 1288), Ibn al-Quff (d. 1286), and Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (d. 1311), among others, raised and answered new questions to highlight the (possible) active role played by the brain in sleep onset and the strengthening of certain brain activities during sleep. They also continued to investigate the (three) stages of sleep and paid attention to different breathing patterns, in addition to pulse, during each stage. Finally, they also applied the pneumatic paradigm in new ways to understand the broader impact of certain medical conditions on sleep.

The Science of Sleep in Medieval Arabic Medicine: Part 1: Ibn Sina's Pneumatic Paradigm.

Modern sleep specialists are taught that, before the twentieth century, sleep was universally classified as a passive phenomenon with minimal to no brain activity. However, these assertions are made on the basis of particular readings and reconstructions of the history of sleep, using Western European medical works and ignoring works composed in other parts of the world. In this first of two articles on Arabic medical discussions on sleep, I shall show that sleep was not understood to be a purely passive phenomenon, at least from the time of Ibn Sina (lat. Avicenna, d. 1037) onward. Building on the earlier Greek medical tradition, Ibn Sina provided a new pneumatic understanding of sleep that allowed him to explain previously recorded phenomena associated with sleep, while providing a way to capture how certain parts of the brain (and body) can even increase their activities during sleep.

Tayadhuq (Theodocus/Théodoros) and his role in the formation of Islamic medicine.

Tayadhuq, also known as Theodocus/Théodoros (d. early 8th century AD), was educated in the Gondes̲h̲apur School and served the Sassanid kings. During this period, he contacted the Umayyad court and became the physician of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf (d. 715 AD), the general governor of the Eastern regions of the caliphate. In addition to his knowledge on the Sassanid scientific tradition, Tayadhuq had a significant role in transferring this tradition to the Islamic world. His ideas were later followed by polymath physicians such as Rhazes (Abu Bakr al-Razi, d. 925 AD), Avicenna (Ibn Sina, d. 1037 AD), and others who lived after him. His medical works were of great importance to the development of early Islamic medicine. Therefore, this study will attempt to illuminate this forgotten scholar's medical knowledge, the works he produced, and finally illustrate his influences on later Muslim physicians.

Rhazes' (865-925 CE) contribution to surgery in Liber Almansoris.

BACKGROUND: Surgery has deep historical roots. Rhazes (865-925 CE), a Persian physician, made a significant contribution to the development of medical sciences in the medieval era. Liber Almansoris is one of his significant works on medicine. This book is a medical textbook for medical students. It covers every aspect of the medical sciences. This article discusses Rhazes' contribution to surgery, based on Liber Almansoris. METHOD: This study examines Rhazes' contribution to surgery, based on his book, Liber Almansoris. RESULTS: Rhazes's Liber Almansoris contains a chapter (seventh chapter) on orthopedics, which includes surgical approaches. This chapter also describes surgical procedures for traumas and skull fractures. In other chapters, he also recommends surgical options for treating certain complications when discussing different treatment methods. DISCUSSION: Although Rhazes mentioned surgical procedures as a medical treatment method, he did not include a separate chapter on surgery. This strategy can be found in his other medical works, such as Liber Continens or Al-Hawi. It appears that Rhazes adheres to the Galenic (Greek) perspective on surgery. In this context, surgery is not an independent major but a method that a physician can employ as needed. It differs from an alternative approach in that era that adheres to ancient Persian perspectives, which identified surgery as a major like other medical sciences disciplines.

Recetario médico-farmacológicos para el cuidado y el embellecimiento del cabello: fuentes árabes medievales / [Medical-pharmacological recipes for hair care and beautification: medieval Arabic sources]

El cuidado y el embellecimiento del cabello forman parte de la tradición de todas las culturas y, a lo largo de la historia, los hombres y las mujeres se han preocupado por su aspecto, no solo desde el punto de vista estético sino también desde el punto de vista terapéutico. Un cabello sano indica una piel sana y, por lo tanto, un cuerpo sano. El trabajo que aquí presentamos recoge una colección de recetas de carácter médico-farmacológico destinadas al cuidado y el embellecimiento del cabello. Para ello, y partiendo de la Materia Médica de Dioscórides, obra de cabecera de la ciencia árabe, se han seleccionado una serie de fuentes árabes medievales de las que se han extraído dichas recetas. Los autores elegidos son: Al-Idrīsī, Abū l-Qāsim al-Zahrāwī, Abū l-ʿAlā’ Zuhr, Ibn Zuhr e Ibn al-Bayttār (AU)

Avicenna and clinical experiences in Canon of Medicine.

Avicenna used his medical knowledge and experience of scientists from different nations to create a new style in medicine. For this reason, his textbook, Canon of Medicine, has been considered a medical reference in all universities worldwide for centuries. In this article, some valuable and interesting diagnostic and therapeutic clinical experiences mentioned in the Canon of Medicine are described in five sections. This research was conducted to review Avicenna's specific clinical observations and interventions in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases using the keywords "Avicenna" and "Canon of Medicine". In this article, we presented several examples of diagnostic and therapeutic clinical experiences mentioned in the Canon of Medicine in 5 areas, including semiology, therapeutic strategy, urology, neurology, obstetrics, and gynecology. Canon of Medicine, as a complete medical series containing the medical experiences from different nations and Iranian medical scientists, has influenced the world's medical knowledge for several centuries. Some of Avicenna's clinical and experimental views can be useful from both a historical point of view and new research.

PARADISE OF WISDOM: INDIAN MEDICAL CONCEPTS IN A PERSIAN ISLAMIC MEDICAL TEXT

Antique traditional medical theories created by old medical doctrines and their historical background have been significantly mentioned today by medical historian scholars. Persia and India had many interactions in different perspectives, such as knowledge, religion, and traditions. One of the most considerable aspects of the relationship between Indians and Persians is the transmission of basic theories of their medical doctrines. As it is reported in many historical texts from the first ages of the Islamic era in Iran, a large number of medical texts were gathered from contiguous civilizations in Iran by order of the Abbasid Caliph. They were then translated into Arabic, Syriac, and Persian. So, Persian physicians and authors used them that way. One of the earlier physicians who reflected the viewpoints of Indian medicine in his famous medical textbook entitled "Paradise of Wisdom" is Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari (3rd century A.H./9th century A.D.). Persian physicians in the Islamic golden age (8th to 16th A.D.) played an astonishing role in the development of medical knowledge in several aspects through physician innovations and expression and evaluation of different ideas about medicine. In this regard, some of the Indian medical theories were expressed by a famous Persian physician, Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari. Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari was a Persian physician of the 3rd century A.H./9th century A.D. He wrote the book Firdous al-Hikmah (or Paradise of Wisdom), the first encyclopedia of Islamic medicine in Iran. The book introduces and describes the basics and therapeutic procedures adopted in Indian medicine, along with procedures of Persian and Greek medical doctrines, by discussing the basic medical theories in these three doctrines. In this paper, we discuss the reflection of traditional Indian medicine as described in Firdous al-Hikmah and its influence on later medical texts.

Mansur ibn Ilyas Shirazi (1380-1422 AD), a pioneer of neuroanatomy.

History of anatomy is as long as the history of medicine itself. Development of this basic science was not possible without the dedicative effort of those physicians and scholars who were committed to discover the mysteries of human anatomy. In this regard, Iranian scholars played an important role in the development of the anatomical sciences despite the religious limitations in their societies. Mansur ibn Ilyas Shirazi is an Iranian physician of fourteenth century who wrote the first color illustrated anatomical book, Mansur's Anatomy. A considerable portion of the book has been dedicated to the central and peripheral nervous system so that he could be considered as one of the pioneers of neuroanatomy.

Biographical review of Ibn Rushd (Averroes) - A physician of 12th CE.

In the Islamic Golden Age, medicine flourished by the practice of Persian, Arab and Greek physicians (9th to 13th century AD). Ibn rushd (1126-1198 AD) was renowned physician in that period, influenced the progress of medicine by his writings. He was the stalwart of medical sciences and owner of many writings in various fields of science. One of his writings in medicine was "Al- Kulliyat fi Al-Tibb" (Colliget or "Generalities on Medicine"). Many of his writings were studied in every part of globe. Now a day it is need of hour to generalize his knowledge for further researches. In this paper it is trying to compile his historical aspect of life as well as writings.

Nuevos datos para la historia del opio en la medicina islámica / New data for the history of opium in Islamic medicine

Este artículo menciona las principales investigaciones publicadas hasta el momento sobre la historia del uso terapéutico y recreativo del opio en el Islam clásico entre los siglos VII y XVII. Presenta la figura histórica del médico iraní ᶜEmād-al-Dīn Maḥmūd Šīrāzī (1515-1592) y describe el contenido general de su Resāla-ye afyūn [Tratado sobre el opio], principal tratado monográfico llegado hasta nosotros sobre los usos medicinales del opio en la civilización islámica. Más concretamente, la presente investigación versa sobre la historia del barš, el opiáceo más difundido y más usado como medicamento y droga recreativa por las poblaciones islámicas entre los siglos XII y XIX, y trata su composición, el origen y significado de su nombre y las fuentes citadas por ᶜEmād-al-Dīn al hablar de él. Asimismo, traza el proceso de transmisión de conocimientos sobre este opiáceo desde Galeno hacia los autores árabes de los siglos XII y XIII y desde estos hacia la medicina del Irán safaví del siglo XVI, y analiza su historia en los círculos médicos árabes e iraníes de los siglos XII al XVI. Se concluye que la Resāla-ye afyūn supone un significativo avance en lo referente a los usos medicinales del barš respecto a los conocimientos de los médicos árabes (AU)

Regarding pandemics: Ibn Jatima from Almería anticipates the physiopathological concept of multi-organ failure in the 14th century.

In 1348, a pandemic known as Black Death devastated humanity and changed social, economic and geopolitical world order, as is the current case with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The doctor of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, Ibn-Jatima from Almeria, wrote "Treatise on the Plague", in which it may be found epidemiological and clinical similarities between both plagues. In the context of Greco-Arab medicine, he discovered respiratory and contact contagion of Pestis and attributed its physiopathology to a lack of pulmonary cooling of the innate heat, generated in the heart and carried by the blood humor. The process described was equivalent to the oxygen transport system. Furthermore, it was supposed to generate toxic residues, such as free radicals, leading to an irreversible multiple organ failure (MOF), considered a mortality factor as in Covid-19. Due to its similitude, it would be the first antecedent of the MOF physiopathological concept, a finding that enriches the scientific and historical heritage of our clinical specialty.

Legacy of Syriac-Aramaic Scholars in Transmitting Neurosurgical Knowledge Between Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

The link between ancient Greek medicine and the Arabic translation period in the 9th century cannot be understood without studying the contributions of Syriac scholars. With their mastery of Greek and the related Semitic languages of Syriac and Arabic, they initiated a scientific translation process with methods that prevail to this day. In this paper, we reviewed Hunayn Ibn Isshaq's Ten Treatises on the Eye to elucidate the original contributions of the Syriac physicians to the field of neurologic surgery. We analyzed the oldest known diagram of orbital anatomy along with Hunayn's genuine ideas on the optic nerve anatomy and pathology, optic chiasm, afferent pupillary reflex, and papilledema and venous congestion. We also reviewed the neurosurgical elements found in the Syriac Book of Medicines including the thought process in localizing neurologic deficits based on clinical experience and anatomic dissections and the earliest recorded description of brachial plexus pathology.

A Study on Head Wounds in Kitab al-'Umda fi Sina'a al-Jiraha by Ibn al-Quff.

The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge on head wounds contained in the Kitab al-'Umda fi Sina'a al-Jiraha, written by Ibn al-Quff in the thirteenth century. This study was based on a copy of the Kitab al-'Umda fi Sina'a al-Jiraha, printed in 2 volumes in Da'ira al-Ma'arif al-Uthmaniyya in Hyderabad in 1356/1937-38 and reprinted by the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. This printed copy was compared with the manuscript of Istanbul University Rare Works Library, Arabic Manuscripts, A 4749. Relevant chapters were translated from Arabic to English, after which they were thoroughly examined. Obtained knowledge is presented in the Results section and is compared in the Discussion section with other reports of this subject. The first chapter classified head wounds into 6 types: the first 3 types are conservatively treated and the remaining 3 types are surgically treated. This chapter also presents information on how to proceed when there is a head wound-related hemorrhage, which medications should be used, and which are the adequate treatment protocols. The second chapter discusses the symptoms and signs that follow head blow and fall injuries. The characteristics and noteworthy circumstances of skull fractures as well as the surgical treatment methods are included in the fifteenth chapter, which is concluded with surgery-related complications. The present study shows that Ibn al-Quff benefited from his predecessors' knowledge and made some considerable contributions to this subject.

El cirujano de Al-Ándalus. Aproximación a la vida y obra de Abulcasis de la mano de Antonio Cavanillas de Blas / Al-Andalus' surgeon. An approximation to the life and work of Abulcasis by the hand of Antonio Cavanillas de Blas

Actualmente, mucha gente sigue pensando en «ciencias o letras» como dos ramas separadas y completamente distintas a la hora de elegir una carrera o simplemente de hacerse una idea de los intereses de una persona. Sin embargo, cada vez hay más esfuerzos para cambiar este concepto y dar a entender que no son opuestos, sino complementarios. Las letras se nutren de los avances de las ciencias y las ciencias necesitan de las letras para expresarse, avanzar y desarrollarse. Ejemplos claros son los libros que tratan temas médicos o relacionados con la medicina, ya sea desde la óptica del paciente y su entorno o desde la mirada del médico. Estos textos contribuyen a la formación humanística del médico y de los estudiantes de medicina: a cimentar el humanismo médico que debe presidir la relación entre el enfermo y el médico. En este trabajo aportamos una lectura de la relación entre literatura y medicina mediante la narración que Antonio Cavanillas de Blas hace de Abulcasis en su obra El Cirujano de al-Aldalus. (AU)

Nowadays, many people still think of «science and humanities» as two separate branches, completely different when choosing a career or simply when imagining where a person´s focus of interest lies on. Nevertheless, there is an increasing effort to change this point of view and make us realize they are not opposite, but rather complementary. Humanities nurture with science´s advances and science needs humanities in order to express itself, advance and develop. Clear examples of this are the books that talk about medicine and medicine related themes. These texts promote the humanistic training of doctors and medicine students: creating a solid foundation of humanistic medicine, which ought to preside the patient- doctor relationship. In this article, we contribute to present the close relationship between literature and medicine analyzing the description Antonio Cavanillas de Blas gives us of Abulcasis in his work El Cirujano de al-Andalus. (AU)

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF QUTB AL-DIN SHIRAZI(A PERSIAN PHYSICIAN IN 14TH CENTURY AD) IN HIS MANUSCRIPT, AL-TUHFA AL-SA'DIYA

Qutb al-Din Shirazi (1236-1311 AD), the Persian polymath had great contributions to the fields of philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, music, literature, and Islamic studies. He lived during the Ilkhanid kingdom in Iran. He wrote an autobiography in the preface of his medical manuscript, al-Tuhfa al-Sa'diya. He discussed his views on science and then, he explained his life story, in particular his education and contribution to science. He mentioned the reasons that led him to write al-Tuhfa al-Sa'diya, his main medical work. As a great polymath, he traveled to many countries, and his words cleared the scientific atmosphere of 14th century AD. Also, he directly introduced his teachers and their abilities and works. Furthermore, scientists who worked on the Canon of Medicine had commentaries on this book, which were comprehensively introduced in this autobiography.

Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb: Hunain ibn Ishaq's historic medical text with a distinctive style of Islamic medical education.

The golden age of Islamic medicine (800 to 1300 CE) is a notable period in medical history. Medical education in this period of time was significant and systematic in Islamic territory. In the early Golden Age of Islamic Medicine, Abu Zayd Hunain ibn Ishaq al-'Ibadi, an exceptional scholar and translator, emerged. He was known as Johannitius in medieval Europe. Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb lil-Mutallimin (Questions on Medicine for Students) was written by Hunain ibn Ishaq. This book remains a definitive text on Islamic medicine and has been printed and published widely in Europe. Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb is written in the style of questions and answers which is distinct from the conventional writing style of medical books on Islamic medicine. The current article reviews Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb and its distinguishing style, the question and answer format. Today, the question-and-answer method is a popular method of medical education, and clinical teachers tend to use it in medical education because of the advantages it offers. The use of this method in Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb for education and examination of medical students by Hunain ibn Ishaq reflects a great improvisation in medical education and introduces him as the leading developer of the question-and-answer method in Islamic medical education.

Verification and Utility in the Arabic Commentaries on the Canon of Medicine: Examples from the Works of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1210) and Ibn al-Nafis (d. 1288).

Although over two dozen Arabic commentaries on the Canon of Medicine were composed between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, historians of medicine have paid scant attention to them. Instead, these commentaries have often been dismissed as being uncritical expositions that further entrenched the dogma of Galenic/Avicennan medical theory. In this article, I shall show that in fact the opposite was the case for at least a subset of the Canon commentaries from this period. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi developed a new style of verification commentary across his philosophical corpus that he also deployed in his Canon commentary. Even though Fakhr al-Din largely adhered to Galenic/Avicennan medical theory, his commitment to verification (tahqiq) led him to challenge and critically assess many facets of medical theory based on systematic, philosophical investigations. Ibn al-Nafis, following in Fakhr al-Din's footsteps, undertook a similar, systematic investigation into medical theory in his own Commentary on the Canon. However, in this case, verification led Ibn al-Nafis to challenge and modify several facets of medical theory. Moreover, as a trained, practicing physician, Ibn al-Nafis also wanted to ensure that his commentary was useful for other practicing physicians. His commentary thus shows how a post-classical physician committed to the principles of verification and utility could employ philosophical argumentation, empirical observations and even occasional experiments to modify key aspects of Galenic/Avicennan medical theory and practice.

Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi (936-1013 CE), Icon of Medieval Surgery.

Abu al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi (936-1013 common era [CE]), also known in the West as Albucasis, was a great Arab physician and surgeon of the late 10th and early 11th centuries CE. He is best known for his surgical knowledge and expertise. His greatest contribution to medicine is the Kitab al-Tasrif, which includes thirty treatises on medical sciences. His early and great contributions to the field of surgery were seminal. For his endeavors in this field, a number of surgeons and scholars have dubbed him the "Father of Operative Surgery".