Albucasis, a tenth century scholar, physician and surgeon: his role in the history of plastic and reconstructive surgery

Abu Al-Qasim Khalaf ibn Abbas Al-Zahrawi (936–1013 CE, known to Europe as Albucasis) practised medicine and surgery in Córdova, the capital of Andalusia. He was a great mediaeval surgeon who influenced European surgery until the Renaissance. His magnum opus was an encyclopaedia of 30 treatises entitled Al-Tasreef. It encompassed the entire medical and surgical fields then known and it has been considered the first illustrated scientific text in history. Albucasis’ made significant contributions to plastic surgery. He stated that incisions be marked with ink preoperatively and advocated important principles of surgery: primary closure and debridement and closure and promoted the use of antiseptics in wounds.