Important And Influential Historical Developments Was The Practice Of Surgery

The logic and principles of medieval medicine shaped those of Modern medicine. Never was there a more efficient method perfected, so much that it remained through history through so many hundreds of years. Today’s concepts of diagnosis, relationships with the church, anatomy, surgery, hospitals and training, and public health were established in the Middle Ages.

Surgery has come a long way since the Tang Dynasty. Nowaday, surgeons use better sterilization techniques and methods to treat the ill. The records from the Tang Dynasty paved the way so the surgeons could be successful in treating people today.

Egyptians were considered some of the best doctors in ancient times, starting from the Stone Age and onward. Written documents and cave carvings found from this time period suggests that they were highly advanced for their time, particularly in the impressive knowledge of human anatomy. For example, the Edwin Smith papyrus lay out a myriad of surgical treatments for a certain type of injury, giving many historians insight on how Egyptians operated in the field. (Lawrence 444) The Edwin Smith papyrus was divided into sections: title, examination, diagnosis, and treatment, a clear sign of the vast amounts of understanding in medicine. (Schlager 94) It is said that medicine became a main focus in the civilization due to the fear of illness and

“Long before the growth of modern medicine, before the wizardry of pharmaceutical drugs and the miraculous dexterity of surgery, men and women were seeking the source of illness and the elixir of good health. (Smolan, Moffit, Naythons 9)”. Surgery has been in the world’s history for thousands of years. There have been many things in the past that have brought humans to where they are today in the medical field of surgery. Men and women of different ages and ethnicities have had many years of schooling and practice that help them in this difficult profession. Many lives have been saved from this constant practice and more are to be saved in the future. Surgery first started thousands of years ago, and has changed throughout the Middle Ages into

Egyptian daily living was mostly made up of philosophies, their fear of the gods and magic. They believed that people who acquired any type of physical and mental illnesses were somewhat caused by paranormal forces and that magic and their religious conviction were how they learned to live with them and treat people. Based on our assigned readings it seemed that Egyptian physician specialty revolved around their ability to be able to apply first aid techniques such as displaced joints and repairing of broken bones. They were able to take care of superficial wounds on the surface of the skin. However they lacked the ability to be able to perform deep level procedures. Their wound dressing was remarkable. A popular natural remedy they often used was willow leaves. Applying them to the skin helped to keep down inflammation. If there was a sickness that the Egyptians thought had some chance of healing they would first make observation and then decide when was the time they should get involved if it was at all required. One disease we can identify that existed at

sores. There was no anesthesia and no one understood how infections happened, only the most desperate patients were brave and only the strongest and bravest surgeons would do it. The surgical tools doctors used were made of bone, flint, animal horn, sharp shards of

There are many people who made accomplishments in their lives. While studying educational health, we learned about the father of medicine. His name is Imhotep, and he is an Egyptian. Imhotep learned in his country medicine where it has valid sources of studying this type of science. Eventually, he has become familiar among people in Egypt and successful physicist for long years there. According to Musso, Imhotep studied medicine including a combination of an outstanding empirical knowledge, and magic explanations. He mastered the human anatomy, and they had exemplary expertise in the art of applying bandages and the use of sutures (19).

I. INTRODUCTION- Did you know about 234 million major surgeries are performed each year? Today surgeries are top notch and can fix almost anything, whether it is fixing a broken nose or a heart transplant. Although, where did surgery start out and how did it affect life? In The History of Philosophy: A Short Survey by James Fieser, Fieser explains how a couple of brilliant minds paved the way for a surgery and medicine take over the world. Before the Renaissance, everything was based on religion or god. Once people started to prove religion wrong with science the world was flipped upside down. Surgery in the Renaissance destroyed religion, because everything went from theory to fact.

17). Galen was one of the most famous surgeons of the time. He is most famous for his discoveries of the anatomy, which he learned from dissecting primates and other animals. Because it was illegal to dissect humans, some of Galen’s discoveries were incorrect (“Antiqua Medicina” ch. 17). But he learned the difference between arteries and veins and the functions of nervous system (“Galen of Pergamum”). His ideas held for over 1,000 years. The remains of basic surgical tools at old roman forts and hospitals tell a lot about surgery from that era (“Military Medicine of Ancient Rome”). One common type of surgery back then was a roman section this was basically just cutting open the corpse of a woman who had died in labor to get the baby (“Roman

The historical film called, “Where Did It Come From? Ancient Egypt: Modern Medicine” was produced by Melody Shafir and distributed through the History Channel. Unfortunately, I have not heard of Melody Shafir. Although, I do watch the History Channel often. There is not any reason that the History Channel would provide inaccurate information. They use various professionals’ such as doctors to scientists to conduct experiments or to provide information. Additionally, each professionals’ experience is talked about and credited on the film. The film has a copyrighted date of 2006, so the information provided is about 10 years old. I do not believe that the information is that outdated, because artifacts are studied with 21st century technology

“Surgical procedures were common and many instruments have been identified which are still in use today. The Egyptians had a flint and a metal scalpel, dental pliers, a bone saw, probes, the catheter, clamps for stopping blood flow, specula, forceps, lancets for opening veins, sponges, scissors, phials, bandages of linen, and scales for weighing the proper amount of raw materials to mix for medicines. Surgeries were frequently successful as evidenced by mummies and other remains found who survived amputations and even brain surgery for years. Prosthetic limbs, made usually of wood, have also been found.” (Mark, Joshua J. “Egyptian Medicine”)

Did you know that surgery was performed as early as 1600 B.C.?There are many different types of surgery. For example, cardiothorassic surgery is the surgery of the heart and lungs. General surgery is focused on mainly abdominal contents such as the stomach, intestines, kidneys, the appendix, gall bladder, and the esophagus. Trauma surgery which is for people who have undergone traumatic events, while pediatric surgery is surgery for kids. Neurosurgery is surgery

“Abu'l-Qasim Khalaf ibn is one of the most outstanding Arabic physicians and the most remarkable Arabic surgeon. His work had a strong impact in middle ages. Greek-Roman surgery had almost ceased to be practiced, in the Western world, after Paul of Aegina (625-690 A.D.), the last Byzantine compiler. Albucasis took for himself the task of making of surgery an honorable art. He recovered ancient surgical texts from damaged scrolls, developed, expanded and refined Greek-Roman operations, adding his own pioneer techniques, procedures, and devising his own instruments. His clear and insightful teachings laid the foundations of accurate and safer surgical procedures that were adopted in the following centuries.” Medicine and health care was very deprived of the citizens at the time, and surgery came in very handy, because it solved many problems you couldn’t solve before (such as brain tumors!). Surgery was very hard to do, and the instruments and process had to be very precise. Without a doubt, his invention is one of the most life-changing inventions ever in the

Becoming a surgeon is no easy feat. It requires intellect, precision, fortitude, patience, and above all, compassion for mankind. Throughout my journey to become a surgeon, I have cultivated these characteristics and have come to embody them within my very being. My first insight into the world of surgery came at an early age. I was 10 years old and had been rushed to the emergency room by my parents after suffering a deep laceration to my left thumb. As I waited to be seen, I remember watching in awe the tremendous efforts of the physicians as they managed and evaluated an incoming throng of severely wounded patients. I vividly recall the urgent stress of the moment, my compassion for the patients, and my sense of complete helplessness as I stood by and watched, stunned. This day deeply impacted me. It instilled a profound desire within me to become a doctor so that I could one day help patients in such critical need.

Dominique Jean Larrey (1766−1842) played an important role in the enlargement of surgery. He was the leading military surgeon under Napoleon and an outstanding organizer. He was one of the earliest to perform the amputation at the hip-joint in 1803. Taking part in nearly all of Napoleon’s battles he created the famous “flying ambulances” (1792) to render immediate help to the wounded soldiers. The mortality rate of the French army was most remarkable. Larrey demonstrated his life time to contribute his experience in his work entitled: “Mémoires de medicine militaire (4 volumes, Paris, 1812−1817). Napoleon considered Larrey was the most honorable man he had ever known. He was truly the founder of modern military surgery.