A Short History of Surgery

Surgery is an integral part of the lives of modern day people. But of course, surgery and healing the body have been important since early Neolithic and Mesopotamian times. The earliest people were primitive in their healing methods, using rocks or other hard tools to drill a hole through the skull to relieve pressure on the brain. In Mesopotamia, bronze tools resembling scalpels, knives, and other surgical tools were discovered. Another early method of medicine was bloodletting, which was intended to rid the body of whatever evil demons or toxins were hiding within. These methods, though basic, primitive, and probably dangerous, were the predecessors to modern surgery.

In Herculaneum and Pompeii surgery developed further with precise, recognizable tools that closely resemble those of today. There were scalpels, bone forceps, probes, tweezers, and needles with wool thread among many. In fact,  at the ruins of an ancient home in Herculaneum known as the "House of the Surgeon" were where most of these tools were found. The surgical instruments discovered in Herculaneum and Pompeii were advanced enough that their basic structure was maintained throughout western history. 

Vesalius was a 16th century scientist who is referred to today as the father of modern anatomy. He lived during the beginning of the Scientific Revolution: a time of heighted scientific activity when scientists were making monumental discoveries in mathematics, biology, physics, and astronomy. He worked at the University of Padua where he dissected human corpses to explain detailed anatomy to his students. Vesalius is also famous for his extremely thorough drawings of the human body, detailing bone structure, muscles, and internal organs. Before Vesalius, people had only a crude understanding of the workings and anatomy of the human body because no one had really dared dissect a body, but with Vesalius’s work people could better create surgical tools and improve medicine. 

During the Enlightenment period from the 17^th to 18^th centuries, there became a large public interest in all things scientific and philosophical. Thus, people dove at the core problem of health and sanitation, creating the first hospitals run by aristocrats. These hospitals then became publicly centered and owned. There was an increased awareness of sanitation and the prevention of diseases, which shaped a healthier population.

Today hospitals, surgery, medicine, and doctor's appointments are all a part of daily life. Many of the theories and tools invented by early Western thinkers provided a foundation of the surgery we have today. 
image 1: roman-medical.jpg from http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2011/01/surgery-in-ancient-times/
image 2: vesal_fabri2big.jpg from http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_02