The few examples of illustrations of surgical instruments given here indicate that the Arabic manuscripts, in general, have preserved the original, oriental, artistic features of the drawings in a way that has been overlooked in Latin and vernacular versions of _al-Taṣrīf_. In presenting his personal observations and original ideas on surgery late in life, al-Zahrāwī, for the most part, was inspired by a thorough acquaintance with Greek and Arabic medical literature supplemented by lifelong intelligent observation and experience. Through its descriptions and illustrations, the surgical treatise of al-Zahrāwī very likely played a significant role in the designing of improved surgical instruments in the Middle Ages. Also, the treatise no doubt promoted the development of improved surgical techniques in Islam and, through its translations, promoted these techniques to an even greater extent in the West, a fact that justifies the fame of this treatise as the highest expression of the development of surgery in Arabic Spain--a treatise whose influence continued to the Renaissance. It contributed in no small measure to the idea of equipping learned and well-trained surgeons with the best surgical tools and techniques of the time; moreover, it encouraged the invention of new instruments to meet differing circumstances and special conditions. These tools no doubt greatly facilitated the work of the surgeon. Throughout the text of _al-Taṣrīf_ al-Zahrāwī gave careful attention to the importance of pharmaceutical preparations in the healing art, including cases requiring surgery. [1] George Sarton, _Introduction to the History of Science_, Baltimore, 1927, vol. 1, p. 681. [2] Mohammad S. Abu Ganima, in _Abul-Kasim ein Forscher der Arabischen Medizin_, Berlin, 1929, suggested that description of operations in al-Majūsī’s surgery is clearer than that in al-Zahrāwī’s--a statement which does not seem acceptable. [3] Max Neuburger, _Geschichte der Medizin_, Stuttgart, 1911, vol. 2, pt. 1, pp. 178-179. [4] Heinrich Haeser, _Lehrbuch der Geschichte der Medizin und der epidemischen Krankheiten_, Jena, 1875, vol. 1, pp. 578-584; and Donald Campbell, _Arabian Medicine and Its Influence on the Middle Ages_, London, 1926, vol. 1, p. 88. [5] See the prelude to the treatise.