Al-Zahrawi

Lore & Background

Al-Zahrawi was born in the city of Azahara, 8 kilometers northwest of Cordoba, Andalusia, around 936, the year his birthplace was founded. His nisba, Al-Ansari, suggests origin from the Medinian tribe of Al-Ansar, tracing ancestry to Medina. Few details of his life survive due to the destruction of El-Zahra during later Castillian-Andalusian conflicts; his name first appears in writings of Abu Muhammad bin Hazm, and the first detailed biography comes from al-Ḥumaydī's Jadhwat al-Muqtabis, completed six decades after his death.

Reader's Guide

Its final volume, On Surgery and Instruments, was the first illustrated surgical guide and was translated into Latin in the 12th century by Gerard of Cremona. It became a standard text in major medical universities such as Salerno and Montpellier, remaining the primary source on surgery in Europe for the next five hundred years. Al-Zahrawi pioneered the use of catgut for internal stitches, invented surgical devices for Caesarean sections and cataract surgeries, and was the first to identify the hereditary nature of haemophilia and describe an abdominal pregnancy. His surgical instruments are still used today. He also performed the first clinical description of an operative procedure for hydrocephalus and treated a throat wound that proved laryngotomy not dangerous. His legacy endures in modern surgical techniques and instruments.

Did You Know?

• Al-Zahrawi pioneered the use of catgut for internal stitches, and his surgical instruments are still used today.
• He was the first physician to identify the hereditary nature of haemophilia and describe an abdominal pregnancy.
• He performed the first clinical description of an operative procedure for hydrocephalus.