Abstract
The Islamic golden era was named as such in recognition of the advancement of human knowledge in addition to the efficacy at which it took place. A time which spanned the late 7th century until the early 14th century saw the illumination of medical practices and transmission of the scriptures to Europe. This naturally led to the rise of renaissance science. Arab intelligentsias such as Avicenna and Abulcasis were the driving gears behind this movement.Abulcasis, born in Andalucía in the year 936 AD, is renowned for delivering his innovations in a thirty-volume medical and surgical encyclopaedia known as ‘Kitab Al Tasrif’ which translates to the Book of Concessions. Housed within, are the roots of many modern-day technologies that are still used and a base of knowledge that was beyond his time. In a time where Europe’s biggest library held a mere thirty-six volumes, Abulcasis was designing one device after the other. The discrepancy in knowledge between the East and the West was made more apparent when one of Abulcasis’ innovations, the vaginal speculum, was not fully understood and one of its parts were erroneously deemed to be for decoration.His excellence in areas of obstetrics and gynaecology, breast surgery, herbal medicine and neurosurgery were made clear throughout his discussions within Kitab Al Tasrif. He was also a keen educator as he strived to encourage the then-tabooed study of anatomy post-mortem.Abulcasis truly had a significant effect on today’s medicine and surgery.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 04 No. 01 January’20 Page : 8-14
Highlights
The Islamic golden era was named as such, not purely because of the advancement of human knowledge that took place but, the manner in which it took place
As of medical practice today, careful use of compression, packing of the wound and haemostatic agents are used prophylactically and post-surgery as adjuncts to minimise the risks. This principle originates with exposition in Kitab Al Tasrif, where the prevention of such complications is of utmost importance; Abulcasis recommended the use of a topical corrosive agent called “zanjar”- copper acetate to erode the remaining fat and dress the wound in a cotton compression dressing; this combination was found to have an anti-inflammatory and haemostatic activity[2,18,27]
By dedicating an entire volume of Kitab Al Tasrif to its discussion, Abulcasis both exhibited his trust in the instrument and ensured that it would be remembered for generations after his death
Summary
The Islamic golden era was named as such, not purely because of the advancement of human knowledge that took place but, the manner in which it took place. Kitab Al Tasrif Completed in 1000 AD, its contents influenced the progress of medicine in Europe until the late seventeenth century. Abulcasis is described as attempting to classify diseases and treatments in Kitab Al Tasrif in order to become the physicians practical guide to medicine.
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