Ancient (circa 500 BC)
Sushruta was probably the most important surgeon in ancient history, often known as the ”Father of Surgery”
In his text Sushruta Samhita, he described over 120 surgical instruments, 300 surgical procedures and classified human surgery in 8 categories.





In Antiquity (Between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD)
Surgeons and Physicians in Greece and Rome developed many ingenious instruments manufactured from bronze, iron and silver, such as scalpels, lancets, curettes, tweezers, specula, trephines, forceps, probes, dilators, tubes, surgical knives, etc.
They are still very well preserved in several medical museums around the world. Most of these instruments continued to be used in Medieval times, albeit with a better manufacturing techniques.






















In 936-1013 AD
One of the key surgeon who made the real breakthrough in surgical instrumentation.
Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, known in the West as Abulcasis, and considered the “Father of Modern Surgery”.

The first observation one must make at the outset is that Al-Zahrawi wrote his famous Al-Tasrif liman ‘Ajiza ‘an Al Ta’leef (written in 1000), translated as The Method of Medicine, and often referred to as Al-Tasrif, after long experience accumulated over fifty years of practising surgery.
The book, therefore, was aimed to establish the general guidelines in the practical surgery by emphasising the “do” and “don’t” in almost every issue encountered and the solutions/ treatments he provided or invented during this long experience.
To complete his practical guide to solving various surgical problems, Al-Zahrawi ended this thirty volumes medical encyclopaedia with a treatise in which he introduces his famous collection of surgical tools exceeding a staggering total of 200 pieces.
With its innovative title “On Surgery”, the treatise is considered the earliest elucidation compiled on the subject, which remained as the single best medieval source on the matter until modern times.










In the words of Leclerc: “Al-Zahrawi remains a leading scholar who transformed surgery into an independent science based on the knowledge of anatomy.
His illustration and drawing of the tools is an innovation that keeps his contribution alive, reflected in its continuous influence on the works of those who came after him”
Galen of Pergamum, one of the most profound philosophers, surgeons, medical physiologists and physicians of the ancient world, requested that his specialised surgical instruments be made of iron ore found only in a quarry in the Celtic kingdom of Noricum.
Galen along with other early Arab doctors, pioneered the approach to surgical instrumentation and his followers of the Medieval period manufactured their instruments based on Galen’s early designs.




Hamidan, for example, listed a total of twenty six innovations that Al-Zahrawi introduced. One of such discoveries was his use of catgut for internal stitching, a method that still practised in most of today’s surgery.
The catgut appears to be the only natural substance capable of dissolving and acceptable by the body.
Al-Zahrawi does not only illustrate the tool using clear hand drawn sketches but also provides detailed information on the material and how and when it is used.



Much of these are illustrated in Spink and Lewis’s (1973) book, one of the best and most comprehensive work available. For example, in cauterisation he states that:
“According to the opinion of the early (surgeons) cauterisation using gold is better than when using iron. In our opinion the use of iron is quicker and more correct”.
As he goes on to deal with particular instruments and their use he often gives a clear description of how it is applied in addition to an accompanying sketch.
Not only the Al-Tasreef has exercised strong influence on later Muslim surgeons but also became a reference book for most European medical schools and practitioners.
It was first translated into Latin by Gherard of Cremona in the twelfth century to be followed by several other translations.
Among the many European scholars to quote and cite from “Al-Tasreef” and many other Muslim medical works was the Frenchman Guy de Chauliac (d.1369) in his work “Chirurgia magna“.


In 15th Century
Italian scholars rediscovered the works of Al-Zahrawi quoting his discoveries and remedies in their work.
Among these, one can refer to Mathieu de Gradibus who cited from Al-Zahrawi’s 27th treatise “Fi Tabai’a Al-Adwiyya and Aghdhiyya”.
In the same period Arduinis de Passaro produced his book on the nature of poison “Liber de Venenis”, citing the work of Al-Zahrawi numerous occasions. Leclerc summarised the impact of Al-Tasreef admitting:
”The translation (of Al-Tasreef) played a significant role in the development of Medieval surgery in Europe”
The book constituted a central part of the medical curriculum in European countries for many centuries.
Renaissance and after (15th and 16th centuries)
In the Renaissance and post-Renaissance era, new instruments were again invented and designed, in order to accompany the increased audacity of surgeons.
However, it was only with the discovery of anesthesia and surgical asepsis that new surgical instruments were invented to allow the penetration of the inner sanctum, or the previously forbidden body cavities, namely the skull, the thorax and the abdomen.
19th century and first decades of the 20th century.
A veritable explosion of new tools occurred with the hundreds of new surgical procedures.
New materials, such as stainless steel, chrome, titanium and vanadium were available for the manufacturing of these instruments.
Precision instruments for microsurgery in neurosurgery, ophthalmology and otology were possible.
Second half of the 20th Century,
Energy-based instruments were first developed, such as electrocauteries, ultrasound and electric scalpels, surgical tools for endoscopic surgery, and finally, surgical robots.
Historically, the development of a surgical instrument follows:
The surgeon uses a common tool and/or adapts it for use in an operation.
Some ancient sources of such tools are weapons, butcher’s tools, items used in ritual body modification, cannibalism or torture, carpenter’s, leather worker’s and metal worker’s implements. (This process still continues, with tools coming out of automobile shops,aerospace workplaces, kitchens, etc.)



These blocks are traditionally used to make surgical instruments.
There is a period of transference and incremental improvement, generally focusing on materials, which must be nontoxic and durable.
There is a period of standardization.
However, in modern times, changing responsibilities and strict clinical controls have modified this proven path of innovation, and created a significant gap between surgeons and the instrument manufacturing industry.
We believe that surgeons require a platform to bridge this gap ; ‘A platform that allows for the continuous development of new and better instruments’.

SURGINS slogan signifies
“A surgeon’s (The Founder of Surgins) vision “
“To provide such A Global Surgeons Platform where surgical instruments should be manufactured, developed, customized and innovated as per surgeons’ wisdom & vision”

Surgins branded, Surgeons designed
Sources:
- Dar Magallat Al-Thaqafa, Damascus. Lecrlerc Lucien (1877), ‘L’Histoire de la Medicine Arabe’, Paris, vol.1 p.456.
- Spink, M. S. and Lewis, G. L. (1973), ‘Albucasis On Surgery and Instruments’, The Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine, London.
- Campell, D. (1974) ‘Arabian Medicine and its influence on the Middle Ages’, Philo press,
- Nasr Seyyed Hossein, (1976), ‘Islamic Science’, World of Islam Festival Publishing Company.
- Amesterdam. Hamidan Zohir (1993), ‘Abu-Al-Qassim Al-Zahrawi; the Founder of Science of Surgery’, in Arabic.