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Renaissance Surgery |
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"The things that a good Surgeon ought chiefly to know
Are naturall, not naturall, against nature also…
He must be circumspect, and seeke to avoide all slaunder,
Not too covetous for mony, but a reasonable demaunder.
Being good unto the poore, let the rich pay therefore,
So God will blesse thy doings, and thou shalt have the more.
He must also be honest, and in living very upright,
To serve the Lord our God, must be his whole delight."
- from Certaine Precepts meet for Young Students in Chirurgerie by William Clowes |
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Surgical care during the Renaissance has often been portrayed as ignorant and barbaric.
In his biography of Paracelsus, author Philip Ball stated "The surgeon and the Inquisitor differed only in their motivation: otherwise, their batteries of knives, saws and tongs for slicing, piercing, burning and amputating were barely distinguishable. Without any anesthetic other than strong liquor, an operation was as bad as the torments of hell."
"RUBBISH!" says Richard Swinney, Physician and founding member of the Bramble Schoole. Numerous pre-1600 Western European surgical texts clearly identify the use of pre-operative narcotic medications. These same texts clearly identify both surgical procedures and herbal medications that have been demonstrated to be clinically effective and are still in use today. Inspired to counter common misconceptions about Renaissance era surgery, Richard is currently writing a comprehensive comparison of surgical practices in 16th century Western Europe (England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain) as reflected in the surgical texts of the period. To facilitate his research, he has sponsored the transcription of a number of the rare primarily Renaissance era surgical texts from his personal library. These electronic transcripts are available free of charge for academic use and may be found on Richard's personal website CLICK HERE. |
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 Not satisfied with merely identifying common 16th century surgical practices, Richard has begun analyzing various recommended treatments for common medical / surgical problems to determine how many of these treatments have sound biochemical bases. Putting his money where his mouth is, for a full year he has used ONLY historic medical / surgical treatments (mostly pre-1600 herbal remedies) to treat his own illnesses and injuries. During the same interval, he underwent regular "bleedings" of 1 pint every 2 months (blood donation) with no ill effects. As there was no effective 16th century treatment for it, here's hoping he doesn't develop appendicitis! |
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Last Modified 2009-06-12