Dawud al-Antaki's Account on Macrocephaly and Microcephaly in al-Nuzhat al-Mubhija.

Abstract

Aim: To present information regarding macrocephaly and microcephaly provided in D?w?d al-An??k??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-An??k? presents that the change in head shape can be categorized into macrocephaly and microcephaly. Al-An??k? 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-An??k? 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- An??k? endeavors to provide an explanation of why microcephaly occurs, and organizes the treatment recommendations according to its proposed etiology.

Conclusion: Al-An??k? 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, a recommendation for surgical intervention may be worth considering even in the absence of detailed information.