Frontiers of Spinal Surgery

ON THE FRACTURES AND DISLOCATIONS OF THE SPINE IN RHAZES’ KITĀB AL-ḤĀWĪ / LIBER CONTINENS*

  • Ahmet ACIDUMAN
  • Hüseyin POLAT
  • Çağatay AŞKİT
  • Deniz BELEN

Received Date: 18.02.2017 Accepted Date: 24.04.2017 J Turk Spinal Surg 2017;28(3):205-214

Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Zakariyyā al-Rāzī was one of the most scientific figures during the era called Golden Age of civilization and medicine in Islamic world. He was a scientist who made important contributions to both Eastern and Western medieval scientific world with his works. Evaluation of the sections on spinal fractures and dislocations in Rhazes’ al-Ḥāwī fī al-Ṭibb, which was a huge work formed by his pupils after his death using his notes recorded by Rhazes when he was alive, is aim of this study.

The sections regarding the spinal fractures and dislocations were determined in the 13th part of al-Ḥāwī fī al-Ṭibb in Arabic and 15th part of Liber Continens in Latin, which contain subjects on fractures, dislocations, injuries and their treatments and medicines, and translated from Arabic and Latin into English. Results were presented and what these findings mean in the history of medicine was discussed in the article.

Keywords: Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb, Al-Razi, Liber Continens, Rhazes, spinal dislocations, spinal fractures