Figure 17.—A crude form of bulb syringe recommended for use with children. Top, from original Arabic manuscript (Ali 2854), courtesy Süleymaniye Umumi Kütüphanesi Müdürlüğü. Bottom, from Leclerc, Abulcasis.
The next chapter, on cupping, mentions the use of cups made of horns, wood, copper, or glass, according to circumstances and the availability of material. The methods of treatment are divided into two kinds: dry cupping, with or without fire, and wet cupping (see [fig. 19]). He prescribes ointments and aromatic and medicated waters to be applied before and after cupping to facilitate healing. Only when cupping is not possible, as on the nose, fingers, and similar parts of the human body, does he propose the use of leeches for treatment.[30] Evidently this is an indication that he did not, as generally supposed, encourage the widespread use of leeches.
Figure 18.—Hooks and forceps used for the extraction of arrows. Top, from original Arabic manuscript (Tüb. MS. 91), courtesy Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen. Bottom, from Channing, Albucasis.
Figure 19.—Cupping. Top, from original Arabic manuscript (Tüb. MS. 91), courtesy Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen. Bottom, from Argellata 1531, courtesy National Library of Medicine.
The third and final section, of 35 chapters, deals with the reduction, luxation, and treatment of injured bones, including fracture of the pelvis. The advices and warnings in the prelude of this section appear to repeat some of al-Zahrāwī’s sayings that had been covered in his previous introductions. The text, however, presents many facets of interest to the health professions. It elaborates upon the application of various forms of bandages and plasters in a variety of operations. Al-Zahrāwī’s detailed description relating to fractures of bones is a fine anatomical document of historical interest. He illustrates and describes special methods for tying injured or broken bones, and he suggests that bandages made of soft linen be less and less tight as distance increases from the injured place (chapter 1). For the protection of areas adjacent to the injured part against contact with edges of splints he advocates padding with soft gauze and carded wool. In some cases, to guard against swelling, he preferred a delay of one or more days in applying bandages over splints. Al-Zahrāwī also devised and depicted many kinds and shapes of splints for use in simple and compound fractures of the head, shoulders, arms, fingers, etc. (see [fig. 20]). For example, in discussing the reduction of the humerus, he recommends a splint consisting of a smooth, thin stick bent in the shape of a bow with two strings, each attached to one end of the stick ([fig. 21]). The injured bone is then placed in the middle of the bent splint for reduction while the patient is seated on a chair. Tying is applied only when there is no "hot" swelling (chapter 11). One of the remarkable observations made in this section is the description of the paralysis caused by fracture of the spine.