Could Al-Zahrawi Be Considered a Biomedical Engineer? [Retrospectroscope]

Abstract

In one?s career, it is good to look back at the predecessors in the field. Biomedical engineering history is full of hidden treasures, one of whom is Al-Zahrawi, a Muslim surgeon who had a wide reputation in Europe during the Middle Ages. Herein, besides recalling that he was a surgeon, the intent is to spotlight his talent in biomedical engineering. Important contributions in surgical instruments come up readily in a review of his work, contradicting the view some have maintained of him as a mere compiler. He was a true inventor, creating many surgical instruments that were not known in the Greco-Roman era. Quite early, he produced contributions influencing surgical procedures in Europe from the 14th to the 18th centuries. As a problem solver, he was aware of anatomical and physiological problems, and he moved through design, methods of manufacturing, and practical applications. The illustrations of such instruments in his encyclopedic work, Al-Tasrif, reflect his willingness to teach.

Revisiting Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Views as Practiced by Al-Zahrawi : A Review

“…More than 200 surgical and dental instruments such as forceps, elevators like tooth-key for extraction of teeth, dental saw, dental file and forceps for extraction of roots were designed by him. He also used scalpels of diverse shape, cautery instruments, retractors, suture materials, osteotome, suture needles, several types of surgical scissors, tongue depressor, gold and silver wires for stabilizing luxated teeth and different kind of scalers to remove calculus from the teeth [1,3,23,25]. The first drawings of elevators can be seen in the work of Al-Zahrawi [26].…”

Ophthalmological instruments of Al-Halabi fill in a gap in the biomedical engineering history

“…Al-Zahrawi (d. 1013 AD) used spear (No. 9 in Figure 1 ) to treat symblepharon[ 24 ]. Al-Ghafiqi (d. 1165 AD) used drill (No.…”

“…Al-Zahrawi used a horse-tail hair to saw off the pterygium. The dove’s feather and the horse-tail hair were utilized due to the inability of the technology of that era to manufacture a man-made instrument with the required thickness and sharpness[ 24 ]. Al-Halabi stated that the ophthalmologist should use extreme delicacy in order to avoid penetrating the cornea or the medial canthus.…”

The Revolutionary Role of Abulcasis in the History of Surgery

“…Nowadays, as a consequence of the works of Pasteur's germ theory in the 19 th century, surgeons are now aware of preventing bacteria culturing on surgical equipment and hence instigating septic shock and surgical site infections 35 . Furthermore, the use of alcohol was seen when combined with rose oil to become a haemostatic agent; this composition would be added to basil icon ointment to prevent ulceration of the wound 36 . Such was the importance of preventing haemorrhage, another tool used for this purpose was the cautery.…”