A Study on Head Wounds in Kitāb al-'Umda fī Ṣinā'a al-Jirāḥa by Ibn al-Quff

The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge on head wounds contained in the Kitāb al-'Umda fī Ṣinā'a al-Jirāḥa, written by Ibn al-Quff in the thirteenth century. This study was based on a copy of the Kitāb al-'Umda fī Ṣinā'a al-Jirāḥa, printed in 2 volumes in Dā'ira al-Mā'ārif al-Uthmāniyya in Hyderabad in 1356/1937-38 and reprinted by the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. This printed copy was compared with the manuscript of İstanbul University Rare Works Library, Arabic Manuscripts, A 4749. Relevant chapters were translated from Arabic to English, after which they were thoroughly examined. Obtained knowledge is presented in the Results section and is compared in the Discussion section with other reports of this subject. The first chapter classified head wounds into 6 types: the first 3 types are conservatively treated and the remaining 3 types are surgically treated. This chapter also presents information on how to proceed when there is a head wound-related hemorrhage, which medications should be used, and which are the adequate treatment protocols. The second chapter discusses the symptoms and signs that follow head blow and fall injuries. The characteristics and noteworthy circumstances of skull fractures as well as the surgical treatment methods are included in the fifteenth chapter, which is concluded with surgery-related complications. The present study shows that Ibn al-Quff benefited from his predecessors' knowledge and made some considerable contributions to this subject.

An Early Description of Using Oral Route for the Management of Cervical Vertebra Fracture by Ibn al-Quff in the Thirteenth Century

OBJECTIVE

This study presents information regarding the treatment of fractures and dislocations of the vertebrae, including the use of the oral route for upper cervical fractures, presented in certain chapters of the book titled Kitāb al-'Umda fī Ṣinā'a al-Jirāḥa (Ibn al-Quff, thirteenth century ad).

METHODS

A printed copy of the second volume of the book was studied. Chapters 22 ("On treatment of vertebral fractures") and 33 ("On treatment of vertebral dislocation") of the seventeenth treatise of this book were translated from Arabic into English. Each section is presented (in full text) in the Results section of this article. The findings were compared with the relevant literature and discussed to determine whether Ibn al-Quff presented novel information compared with that presented by his predecessors.

RESULTS

The writings of Ibn al-Quff regarding vertebral dislocations seem to summarize information derived from his predecessors. Moreover, he modified certain approaches, previously described for vertebral dislocations, and used them for correcting vertebral fractures. Ibn al-Quff introduced the most novel use of a bridlelike instrument for anterior cervical fracture through the oral route. By introducing the device in the mouth, he described a pushing maneuver to the cervical vertebrae from the ventral site and a simultaneous pulling maneuver by cupping on the neck from the dorsal site.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of the oral route introduced by Ibn al-Quff may be one of the earliest examples of novel, practical, and advanced treatment for cervical vertebral fracture.

Ibn al-Quff (1233-1286 AD), a medieval Arab surgeon and physician

Abū'l-Faraj ibn Ya'qūb ibn Isḥāq Ibn al-Quff al-Karakī (1233-1286 AD), best known as Ibn al-Quff in the West, was a 13(th) century Arab physician-surgeon. During his lifetime, Ibn al-Quff made some important contributions to the art of healing. He authored several books and commentaries in the field of medicine, in particular surgery. This paper aims to review Ibn al-Quff's life, career, and contributions to medical science.