Endoscopy in the 15th Century

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the contributions of Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu (1385-1468?)--who was born and practiced in Amasya in northern part of central Anatolia--to the field of endoscopy. He was a humble, curious and intelligent surgeon, and also a calligrapher and a miniature artist. This remarkable pioneer used the classification of the Andalusian surgeon, Abdul-Kasim Kalaf Ibni Abbas El Zahravi, known as Albucasis of Cordoba (936-1013); but improved it by adding many important and major new observations and chapters. He described "a thin and hollow tube of almost 35 cm, which was made of silver" and used it to inspect the interior of the bladder.

Craniomaxillofacial Surgery Techniques of 15th Century Turkish Surgeon Serefeddin Sabuncuoglu

“…Sabuncuoğlu is one of the most important surgeons in the history of surgical medicine, although he remained unrecognized for a long time, and failed to receive the appropriate recognition. Imperial Surgery was discovered in 1936 by Süheyl Ünver, a medical historian, 14 and it was after this that he started to be appreciated when his practices in the fields of neurosurgery, 10,19 orthopedics, 20 gynecology, 21 pediatrics, 9,17 plastic surgery, 22 and urological 23 surgery started to find a place in literature. Sabuncuoğlu used his own designs of surgical instruments, including scissors, clamps, catheters and drains, and similar equipment is still in use by surgeons today.…”

“…He was not only a talented surgeon, but also a good teacher and a miniaturist. 10 He trained many physicians throughout his life and was one of the most reputable physicians of his time. There are three known copies of his book Imperial Surgery in existence, one of which is in Paris while the other two are in Istanbul.…”

“…Given his good command of these languages, provided him with a good knowledge of the basic medical sciences of the time. He was not only a talented surgeon, but also a good teacher and a miniaturist 10 . He trained many physicians throughout his life and was one of the most reputable physicians of his time.…”

Serefeddin Sabuncuoglu: A pioneer surgeon of the Ottoman Era

“…Even during Europe's "Dark Ages" between the 7 th and 13 th centuries, and thereafter, the Arabs and the Turks continued to practice medicine and surgery with numerous innovations and improvements (1,2). One of the best examples raised from Anatolia (Asia Minor) at this period was Sharaf al-Dīn Sabuncuoğlu (Tr: Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu), an innovative surgeon and a great illustrator who lived in the Ottoman Empire during the 15 th century (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17).…”

“…The book is remarkable for its three topics related to oncology and its sections about mental illnesses, circumcision, and hermaphroditism (Fig. 1)(2,5,9,10,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)20).…”