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In Medieval England, Barbers Not Only Cut Hair But Also Performed Surgeries
From tooth extractions to amputations, barbers served those who couldn’t afford expensive doctors.
In 1658 in England, Samuel Pepys threw a big party at his home to celebrate surviving a bladder stone operation. His trusted barber had removed the stones without using any painkillers. This simple operation wasn’t done by a surgeon but by a “barber-surgeon,” a unique job during those days.
Back then, when you visited a barber for a haircut or shave, you might see more than just a trim. Next to you, someone could be getting a tooth pulled, a wound bandaged, or even a broken bone fixed. This mix of services happened because people saw doctors and surgeons very differently. Doctors were respected, seen as smart scholars who studied in Latin, and mostly treated rich people. Regular folks often went to barber-surgeons, who helped soldiers, farmers, monks, and workers.
At a barber surgeon’s clinic, you’d find all sorts of healing tasks that doctors would refuse to do
Barber surgeons may not have gone to universities like the doctors, but they did acquire training at the trade guilds where they became apprentices to…
