A closer look
Next time you're under anesthesia, thank an Andalusian genius from the year 1000. Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi basically wrote the ultimate medical cheat sheet, a 30-volume encyclopedia detailing surgical procedures that Europe wouldn't discover for centuries. He casually invented over 200 surgical instruments, including forceps, scalpels, and the brilliant idea to use catgut for internal stitches because the body naturally absorbs it. Meanwhile, the rest of the world was still treating infections by praying at them.
