Abul Qasim Khalaf Al Zahrawi (936-1013 A.D) known in the west as Abulcasis was born in Zahra in the neighborhood of Cordova (Arabic Qurtuba). He became one of the most renowned surgeons of his era and the Middle Ages. He is best known for his early and original breakthroughs in surgery as well as for his famous Medical Encyclopedia called Al-Tasrif, which is composed of thirty volumes covering different aspects of medical science.

The more important part of this series comprises three books on surgery, which describe in detail various aspects of surgical treatment as based on the operations performed by him, including cauterization, removal of stone from the bladder, dissection of animals, midwifery, styptics, and surgery of eye, ear and throat. He perfected several delicate operations, including removal of the dead fetus and amputation. Al Zahrawi is considered as Father of Modern Surgery.

Nevertheless, Al Zahrawi was the inventor of several surgical instruments, of which three are notable: (i) an instrument for internal examination of the ear, (ii) an instrument for internal inspection of the urethra, and (iii) and instrument for applying or removing foreign bodies from the throat. He specialized in curing disease by cauterization and applied the technique to as many as 50 different operations.