Abu Al Qasim Al-Zahrawi (Albucasis): Father of Modern Surgery

Abstract

Abu Qasim Khalaf Ibn Abbas Al-Zahrawi, referred to in the West as Albucasis was born in 936 A.D. in Al-Zahra; a suburb, six miles northwest of Cordoba, the capital of Muslim Spain (Al-Andalus). His progenitors were from the Al Ansar clans of Al Madina Al Munawwarah who originated from the Arabian promontory with the Muslim armed forces which vanquished and lived in Spain. Al-Zahrawi hardly travelled and consumed the greater part of his time in the place where he grew up as a rehearsing doctor as well as specialist surgeon. He served as the court physician to Caliph Al-Hakam-II, at a period considered as the “Golden Age” of Arab. Around the year 1000 AD, he wrote his famous book “Al-Tasrif Liman ‘Ajaz ‘Aan Al-Taleef”. It was a summation of about fifty years of medical education, training, practice and experience. Al-Zahrawi was the first to use forceps to remove a bladder stone. This article is just a review of the medical and surgical contributions of this great Arab physician from Andalus to the world.

Keywords: Al-Zahrawi, surgeon, Al-Tasrif, forceps, bladder stone

Cite this Article

Mohammad Asif Khan, Mohammad Muzammil, Saiyad Shah Alam, Mehjabeen Fatimah. Abu Al Qasim Al-Zahrawi (Albucasis): Father of Modern Surgery. Research & Reviews: Journal of Surgery. 2019; 8(1): 1–5p.