[Medicine versus surgery: the treatment of eye diseases in the works of Abulcasis and Avenzoar].
Although they start from generically distinct positions-- from the standpoint of a surgeon in the case of Abulcasis (11th Century), and from that of a physician in the case of Abenzoar (12th Century) - we attempt to show that the latter made an important, documented and unsuspected contribution to the surgical therapy of diseases of the eye. Naturally, Abenzoar discusses the surgical approach after first recommending other pharmacological and dietary remedies. To this end, we studied the chapters dedicated to the diseases of the eye in Kitāb al-tasrīf li man 'aŷiza an al-ta 'līf: The Book of the arrangement [of medical science] for those who are unaware of it by Abulcasis, and in Kitāb al-taysīr fī l-mudāwāt wa-l-tadbīr. The Book of the Simplification of Medication and Diet by Abenzoar. In support of our hypothesis, we make some observations on the introduction and use of the cataract removal technique in al-Andalus.