Illustrations of neurosurgical techniques in early period of Ottoman Empire by Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu.
BACKGROUND
Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu (A.D. 1385-1468) was the author of the first illustrated surgery atlas Cerrahiyyetü'l Haniyye (Imperial Surgery), which was written in Turkish in 1465. The purpose of this report is to present his unique contribution to modern neurological surgery.


METHODS
Cerrahiyyetü'l Haniyye consists of 412 pages in three chapters, in which there are a total of 191 sections dealing with a variety of surgical specialties, including neurosurgery. In each section of the book, a sentence written in rhyme and meter gives the diagnosis, classification and surgical technique in detail. Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu describes medical and surgical management of neurological diseases such as spinal trauma, epilepsy, migraine, facial palsy, hemiplegia, low back pain, cranial fracture, hydrocephalus and abscesses of the head in his textbook.


CONCLUSIONS
Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu was a great surgeon in Turkish medical history and the sections on neurological diseases in Cerrahiyyetü'l Haniyye are of great importance in neurosurgery. Today, he is justified as a pioneer of surgery, an investigator and a medical illustrator in the early period of Ottoman Empire. His atlas is a modification of original contributions from earlier treatises.
Turgut
M
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Adnan Menderes University Hospital, Aydin, Turkey. drmturgut@yahoo.com
D049668:History, 15th Century; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008374:Manuscripts, Medical as Topic / Q000266:history*; D008488:Medical Illustration / Q000266:history*; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000266:history*; D014421:Turkey