Surgical advances in Islamic mediicne and the practice of anesthesia up to the fall of the Islamic state

ABSTRACT

World civilization first started along the major rivers of the Middle East, namely the Nile valley and in between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the land of Mesopotamia, 4000 years ago. Greek and Roman medicine were a continuum of the previous civilizations with regard to medicine. The Arabic translation of Greek medical writings helped to make Islamic physicians supreme in the Middle Ages. Baghdad became the center of knowledge in alchemy and medicine. Surgical procedures were performed and anesthesia was used. Many brilliant minds including Avicenna, Albucassis, and Ibn al Koff flourished in this time and left a written legacy of their teachings. This high level of medical achievement continued over many centuries and withstood the passage of time and political turmoil, prevailing until the Salajic and early Ottoman periods