Abu’l Qasim al-Zahrawi is the one of the most important surgeons and is accepted as one of the founders of surgery in Europe in the 10th century. A section written on hydrocephalus in the 30th discourse on surgery in the Al-Tasrif holds an important place in the history of medicine. Despite early recognition of the disease, it would take centuries before it was understood, and successful treatment become possible only in the 20th century. Al-Zahrawi’s writings on hydrocephalus are presented and discussed in this article.

Keywords: hidrosefali, Zehrâvî, hydrocephalus, Zahrawi