medieval surgery

• Problems of medieval surgery

  Bleeding, infection, pain control and shock
• Barber surgeons


  At this time barbers were also surgeons so they would go around the country treating the wounded and they did simple procedures such as bloodletting, tooth extraction
• Many surgeons learnt on the battlefield, there was no proper training
• Women were allowed to become surgeons as they weren't allowed to be doctors and a surgeon is inferior to a doctor.
• John Arderne


  Was the first English surgeon, developed his own pain killing ointment from opium and hemlock. Also created the 'Fistula in ano' to treat those of horseback. He wrote many books such as 'The Practice of Surgery'
• Hugh of Lucca and Theodoric


  Noticed that wine was very good for cleaning wounds others used cauterisation. Both of them observed that pus in wounds was harmful whereas other doctors thought pus was good for cleaning the blood. Wrote many books and criticised other surgeons' traditional methods
• Progress


  Alcohol and herbs were used as pain killers, surgeons worked out how to use alcohol as antiseptics, new instruments and techniques were developed, some complicated surgery became possible