Turkish Neurosurgery
Dāwūd al-Anṭākī’s account on macrocephaly and microcephaly in al-Nuzhat al-Mubhija
AHMET ACIDUMAN1, ABDULLAH YILDIZ2
1Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, History of Medicine and Ethics, Ankara,
2Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, History of Medicine and Ethics, Ankara,
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.47137-24.1

Aim: To present information regarding macrocephaly and microcephaly provided in Dāwūd al-Anṭākī’s Arabic book, al-Nuzhat al-Mubhija, which was translated into English and discussed in the context of the period’s literature. Material and Methods: The copy of al-Nuzhat al-Mubhija, which was published in Egypt in 1324 AH/[1906/7 AD] (2nd edition) and another copy published in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1420 AH/1999 AD, were analyzed. The section on “the change in the shape of the head” from the copy printed in Egypt was used as the reference and the copy printed in Lebanon was compared to it. Results: Al-Anṭākī presents that the change in head shape can be categorized into macrocephaly and microcephaly. Al-Anṭākī states that the head enlarges due to the separation of the cranial sutures, which occurs because of penetration of a humor between the sutures, accumulation of thick wind under the sutures, or trapping of fluids between the membranes. Al-Anṭākī recommends the use of solvents for the wind and fluids collected in the head, and surgical treatment (incision and evacuation) for cases in which fluids cannot be dissolved. However, he does not provide a detailed explanation about the surgical intervention. In this chapter, al-Antākī endeavors to provide an explanation of why microcephaly occurs, and organizes the treatment recommendations according to its proposed etiology. Conclusion: Al-Anṭākī briefly provides information regarding the etiology of macrocephaly and microcephaly and offers treatment suggestions for them. His treatment suggestions are in the context of and in line with the principles of humoral theory, which was the medical paradigm of the period. However, surgical intervention may be worth considering, even in the absence of detailed information.

Corresponding author : AHMET ACIDUMAN