Scale-Based Visual Heritage in the Works of Pioneers of Modern Surgery History: A Case Study of al-Zahrawi and Paré
Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History,
Vol. 18 (1405),
4 April 2026
,
Page 1-19
https://doi.org/10.22037/mhj.v18i.50263
Abstract
Background and Aim: The pictorial history of surgery in ancient manuscripts dating back several millennia reflects the concurrent evolution of art and medicine. Certain details such as structure, scale, components and function could only be conveyed through images. Scientific illustration has consistently provided precise and eloquent information. According to many historians, Abu al-Qasim Khalaf Ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi (4th century AH / 10th century CE), one of the greatest physicians of the Islamic world and a pioneer in the history of modern surgery, emphasized in his valuable treatise Al-Tasreef li-man 'ajza 'an al-Taleef (the first illustrated medical encyclopedia) the inadequacy of text compared to images in accurately conveying scale-based and form-oriented concepts, tools and information in various sciences, including medicine. Six hundred years later, Ambroise Paré, a French military surgeon and member of the Parisian Barber-Surgeons Guild, also devised innovative techniques in instruments and therapeutic methods. The present research aims to investigate and study the scale-based visual heritage of medical illustration in the treatises of al-Zahrawi and Paré in transmitting surgical knowledge and techniques.
Methods: In this descriptive-analytical research, stratified and purposive sampling methods were used for data collection.
Ethical Considerations: In the present research, ethical aspects of textual study, including authenticity of texts, honesty and trustworthiness, have been observed.
Results: Considering the unparalleled achievements of al-Zahrawi and Paré in designing innovative surgical instruments, pioneering, documenting, and teaching anatomy and modern surgical techniques, it can be said that today's biomedical engineering and forensic medicine owe a debt to their efforts and genius.
Conclusion: The achievements and influence of both aforementioned surgeons in designing surgical instruments, prosthetic limbs, pharmacology, dentistry and novel therapeutic methods - through their scientific writings and illustrations in their important compilations and the heritage derived from them - demonstrate the definite and irreplaceable role of art in conveying the concepts of medical science
- Artistic Anatomy
- History of Surgery
- Medical Illustration
- Al-Zahrawi
- Paré
How to Cite
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