Endoscopy in the 15th century

The aim of this study was to investigate the contributions of Serefeddin Sabuncuoğlu (1385-1468?)--who was born and practiced in Amasya in northern part of central Anatolia--to the field of endoscopy. He was a humble, curious and intelligent surgeon, and also a calligrapher and a miniature artist. This remarkable pioneer used the classification of the Andalusian surgeon, Abdul-Kasim Kalaf Ibni Abbas El Zahravi, known as Albucasis of Cordoba (936-1013); but improved it by adding many important and major new observations and chapters. He described "a thin and hollow tube of almost 35 cm, which was made of silver" and used it to inspect the interior of the bladder.