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Evolving History Of Surgery Essay

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The Evolving History of Surgery
The art of surgery has a long, rich history which to some scholars, predates the middles ages when most surgical processes or treatments resulted in grave infection or death. As the development of technology has become more prevalent across western societies, is is clear that the past hundred years or so proved to be time when surgery progressed at an alarming rate, thus further highlighting the insurmountable amount of medical advancement in the industry.

In the medical industry today, surgery takes a wide variety of forms and is often performed using minimally invasive techniques, which has evolved greatly since even the 19th century from the first blood transfusion in 1818, that took place in Germany. New, …show more content…

The first surgical process to ever take place occurred in the year 6,500 B.C.E., when skulls were found in France which resulted from a process called trepanation, that historically involved drilling a hole in the skull. Although scholars or historians are unable to discern what the exact reasoning is that called for this type of hole drilling surgery, this incident without a doubt marked the initial form of surgery ever performed in the history of medicine.

During the 16th century, specifically in the year 1540 C.E., The United Barber-Surgeons Company was formed to perform tooth extractions and blood letting for patients. On the other hand, physicians were considered a different profession and were therefore the only ones who were able to treat illness or disease medicine.

In 1928, antibiotics were discovered for medical use which sparked significant surgical advancements that were created to treat brain tumors, lung, and pancreas. In addition, efforts to improve various surgical processes included accrediting cancer programs and certifying surgeons, with the minimum standards set for surgical residencies in 1937. Below is a simplified timeline illustrating the most celebrated or important medical advancements in the field of surgery in the last fifty-five years.

Timeline (1960’s-present day)
1967 - First successful liver

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