Landmarks in Arab Surgery in Andalusia: Al-Zahrawi's 'At-Tasrif' as a Model

Abstract

The Arab medical heritage was a shining facet of the Islamic civilization in Andalusia, contributing to making it a beacon of scientific knowledge that the world admired. Drawing inspiration from the local lifestyle, including food and clothing, as part of their cultural identity, Andalusia was teeming with scholars, physicians, and astronomers who established diverse schools spanning linguistic and applied sciences. Medicine held a distinguished position among them during that era, highlighting the backwardness of the contemporary world, Under Islamic rule, Andalusian medicine made remarkable achievements in various fields. Numerous luminaries emerged in this field, such as al-Karmani, al-Ayyadi, Ibn Abi al-Haqm, Ibn al-Baytar, al-Kattani, Ibn Juljul, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Tufail, Ibn Wafid, al-Zahrawi, al-Ghafiqi, and Ibn al-Sarraj, who became beacons of medicine in their time.This study explores a remarkable example of Andalusian medicine, its characteristics, and methodologies, represented by the book "At-Tasrif" (The Method) by Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn Abbas al-Zahrawi (d. 1013 CE), considered the first comprehensive book on surgery in the world. The study is divided into an introduction and three chapters. The introduction provides an overview of al-Zahrawi and his book. The first chapter offers a detailed description of the medical treatments presented in the book. The second chapter highlights al-Zahrawi's most significant contributions in the field of medical authorship. Finally, the third chapter conducts a linguistic study of al-Zahrawi's style in the book as a model of medical discourse in his era, employing a descriptive approach to analyze its patterns. The conclusion emphasizes the great significance of Andalusian medicine and its global contribution to paving the way for subsequent physicians in modern clinical medicine and medical ethics.