Medieval Surgery

What was surgery like during medieval times?

Surgery in medieval times was backwards, dangerous and very few patients survived.

What were the problems with surgery in medieval times?

There were 3 main problems with surgery in medieval times:

• ❖ Pain: the pain was excruciating and there were no real anaesthetics. Natural anaesthetics like hemlock or opium were used to numb pain, but they were dangerous as a high doses could kill the patient. The pain could be so bad that some patients died of shock.
• ❖ Infection: because there was no understanding of what caused them, many patients died from post-surgery infections. Many doctors believed that the presence of pus in wounds helped patients recover. Dirty surgical instruments were seen as a sign of a surgeon's experience.
• ❖ Blood loss: blood transfusions did not exist and patients often lost a lot of blood during surgery, which could be fatal.

Who made progress in surgery during the medieval period?

There were a number of doctors who helped with the progression of surgery during medieval times:

• ❖ John Arderne.
• ❖ Abulcasis.
• ❖ Hugh and Theodoric of Lucca.