An Introduction to the History of Medicine by Charles Greene Cumston

Author:Charles Greene Cumston [Cumston, Charles Greene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780598686503
Google: ZkI9AQAAIAAJ
Publisher: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & Company, Limited
Published: 1926-01-15T01:45:47+00:00

A MEDIEVAL SURGERY (XVth CENTURY)

Enlarged by A. Mittendorff from Petrus Hispanus (Author’s Collection)

Abulcasis, whose real name was Abu'l-Qasim Khalef ibn Abbas az-Zahrawi, was born at Zahra, near Cordova, and died, it is said, in 1013, at the age of 101 years. Abulcasis was the medical authority most frequently consulted by surgeons of mediaeval times. His larger work on medicine bears the name of al-Tasrif, and is divided into thirty books. His most original work, however, is the Liber Servitoris or Book of Simples.

To Abulcasis alone among the great Islamic physicians belongs the credit of having restored surgery to its former glory. Undoubtedly from time to time we find some operative indication buried in the large treatises of other Islamic writers. But Abulcasis certainly should be credited as having summed up all the surgical knowledge of the times in a single treatise, the thirtieth of his large medical encyclopaedia. Although this book is not the most original of his writings, it nevertheless became a classic in the mediaeval schools of Europe. What probably contributed largely to the success of this book were the illustrations; of instruments which it contains. This book might have disappeared completely, for the other Islamic physicians paid no attention to surgery, and, in his preface, Abulcasis. says that surgery was not in repute in his country and that it had practically disappeared without leaving a trace behind. Some remnants of the writings of the ancients still remained but transcription had corrupted them so that they were often unintelligible and useless, and for this reason he wished to revive this science by writing a work upon it.

Abulcasis goes on to say that “the reason why skilful operators do not exist to-day is that the art of medicine requires time (to learn) ; he who would practise (surgery) should first study anatomy as given by Galen, in order to know the functions of the organs, their shape, their temperament, their relationship (to other organs), and to know the bones, tendons and muscles, their number and position, also that of the veins and arteries, as well as the regions through which they pass.

“If anatomical knowledge be ignored, mistakes will be made and the patient will be killed.”

Abulcasis, in common with Islamic physicians in general has been reproached as being an audacious compiler and a plagiarist of the Greeks. It is certainly true that the foundations of the surgery of Abulcasis are made up of the surgery of Paulus Aegineta : at least such is the impression given by a hasty comparison of the two books. But if Abulcasis is read carefully it will be seen that the important operations he describes include also a very precise operative technique which does not exist in Paulus. It may be said that these are merely details, but in the case of surgery, details, especially operative, are of the highest importance.

The personal observations that he gives, and the care with which he warns the reader of the dangers incurred in operating, are sufficient proof that Abulcasis was not a mere compiler, but rather that he was a very skilful surgeon.

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