Jayden Buzick
Mr. Christensen
English 11B
29 April 2014
Surgeons
“Life in the ancient world was risky business. The perils of war, disease, famine, and
childbirth are just a few examples of circumstances that contributed to a much lower average
lifespan in the ancient world than we have in the modern era. People in antiquity were no less
concerned about the prevention and cure of maladies than they are now, however, and entire
cults, sanctuaries and professions dedicated to health dotted the spiritual, physical, and
professional landscapes of the ancient world.” (Yeomans 2013). Many surgeons and
procedures attributed to modern day practices and medicine. Not only did prehistoric peoples
help pave the way, but present day people as well. These events drastically improved modern
day surgeons.
Neolithic people have one of the biggest positive impacts on modern day surgeons.
There has been evidence that they’ve practiced Trepanation; making a hole in the skull,
exposing the dura-mater to treat health issues related to the head and brain. Trepanation was
also thought to treat epileptic seizures, migraines, and mental disorders. (Irving 2013).
Trepanation is among the oldest procedure to ever be recorded from actual human skull
remains, to cave paintings. It is shown that this procedure has a good survival rate and was
sometimes done more than once on the same person. The healing rate was very good at this
time and the success rate was equally as good. Trepanation was practiced on both the livingand
the dead, both sexes, and at almost every age. It was believed to relieve pressure within the
head. (Irving 2013).A Trepan is the tool used to make the hole into the skull. In this time, it was
made from a flint or a stone. (Walker 1997). The surgeons would then wrap a bandage around
the head and it would heal by itself. The oldest Trepanned skull was found in France and
discovered to be over 7,000 years old. The holes are mostly found in the parietal bone of the
head, but also occurred in the occipital and frontal bones as well.
Ancient Egyptian surgery drastically affected what surgeries are performed today.
Surgery in ancient Egypt was part of everyday life and a part of general health. Most surgery
issues were related to trauma. The Edwin Smith papyrus is an instructional book that informs
people how to treat trauma on the upper half of the body, while the Ebers papyrus was more
information on how the injuries would heal. (Beyer 2012). Since anesthesia was not around in
this time, the only pain reliever they used was alcohol which made surgical success difficult.
(Beyer 2012). Egyptians were good at putting dislocated joints back in their place and also
mending broken bones (“Egyption Surgery”). Another one of their specialties were bandaging.
This was shown by the evidence of mummification, where they would preserve the body by
taking out the moisture, which slows the decomposition of the body. This would take up to 70
days to complete. Egyptians would take out some of the major organs in the body like the
lungs, liver, intestines, etc. (Halsall 2011). They would then bandage them around the whole
body tightly and bury them.
Ancient Greeks was the biggest contributor to how modern surgery and medicine is
used today. Galen, born 129 A.D., made books and diagrams of the surgeries he performed. It
was socially and religiously frowned upon to practice on other human beings, so he started to
practice on different animals like goats, apes, and pigs (“Galen Of Pergamum”). Since he only
practiced on animals, there were errors in his findings. Although an animal has a similar
function, it’s not the same. Galen believed people needed to understand how the human body
worked before they could try to cure or treat a disease. He discovered that there is blood
running in the human circulatory system, not air, and the four humors were fluids. “First,Galen
believed that blood didn’t circulate, but stayed motionless in the body until it was either
stagnant or let out. Secondly, he thought the balance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, black
bile, and yellow bile) was the source of health of illness.” (“A Brief History Of Bloodletting”).
This shows how his thought of the four bodily humors were very important to treating all kinds
of diseases and that illness was caused by a sort of imbalance. This discovery led to the surgical
practice of bloodletting. This procedure consisted of a small cut in the skin and draining out
some of the blood. Galen believed that the four bodily humors controlled your health and by
draining some blood, it would restore the balance and cause the patient to be healthy again. He
also believed blood was the most dominant out of the humors. Bloodletting was thought to be
the cure to everything from fevers and herpes and so on. Galen would cut patients in an area
thinking it would cure a problem inside the body. For example, he would cut the right leg and
drain the toxins that were coming from the liver. He also gave his patients drugs made from
herbs that would induce vomiting and urination to speed up the process of getting the humors
back into balance. Galen’s previous discoveries led him to explain the function of nerves inside
the body. He started to dissect animal spinal cords and brains. Galen experimented and tested
his theories instead of insisting they were true or being satisfied with other discoveries. (“Galen
of Pergamum”). Galen was also one of the first people to start dividing the human body into
systems. His first system consisted of nerves and the brain, the second system consisted of
arteries and heart, and the third system consisted of liver and the veins.
Today, modern surgeons are still trying to perfect the profession of surgery. It wouldn’t
be what it is today without the help of ancient physicians and procedures. Trepanning is still
used today in modern surgery. Dr. Bart Hughes is the modern founder of Trepanation. In 1962,
he was convinced that the volume of blood present in the brain affects the consciousness. Dr.
Hughes believed since humans started walking upright and putting the brain above the heart,
humans lost the high range of consciousness they once had. “In 1965, after years of
experimentation, Dr. Hughes bored a hole in his skull using an electric drill, a scalpel, and a
hypodermic needle (to administer local anesthetic). . . He immediately beganpreaching the
benefits of his new state of consciousness achieved” (Bjerg 2006). Bloodletting is not used very
much today, but is on the rise. “Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe the list of
medical problems facing people who are obese, such as hypertension, insulin resistance and
glucose intolerance. People with this condition are at risk for clots and strokes. Bloodletting
thins down the patient's blood, helping to prevent these problems.” (“Bloodletting is back!
Here’s everything you need to know about this ancient practice”).
Believe it or not, the use of ancient surgeries actually made modern surgery better.
Since ancient times, different branches of surgeons have been created so that the surgeons
could specialize in what they do. For example, there are heart surgeons, brain surgeons, food
surgeons, and much more. Becoming a part of this profession would allow people to help the
patients with medical related problems, which can be pretty serious and life-threatening
(“Surgeon”). Being in this profession also leads to the creation of better instruments,
technology, and procedures. It creates a better understanding of human anatomy. Surgeries in
the past were painful, horrible, and dangerous. They didn’t know about sanitation and
infections which often became a big issue. It was usually a last resort and meant patients were
going to die (“Surgery”).
Later on, surgery became less painful and less scary, but patients still continued to die
from infections. It was not until middle 1900’s when blood transfusions and antibiotics were
discovered so surgery became more safe. The creation X-Rays were a major factor because
surgeons could pinpoint exactly what was wrong with a patient. Transplant surgeries became
more of a common surgery as time progressed. (“Techniques: Trepanning”). Modern surgery
today is painless, effective, and reliable. To become a surgeon today is a long and difficult
challenge. It requires an undergraduate education, 4 years to earn a BS or BA degree. People
typically have to have heavier classes in Science and Math departments. After getting an
undergraduates degree, people have to go through 4 years of medical school at a LCME
accredited U.S. Medical School, either Preclinical or Clinical. Next is earning MDs which is for
additional training. Lastly, people have to go through residency which is 3-7 years
ofprofessional training under supervision of senior educators. To be a surgeon, it’s typically 5
years of residency (“Physicians and Surgeons” 2014). “Physicians and surgeons diagnose and
treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe
medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet,
hygiene, and preventive health care. Surgeons operate on patients to treat injuries, such as
broken bones; diseases, such as cancerous tumors; and deformities, such as cleft palates.”
(“Physicians and Surgeons” 2014). Many surgeons and procedures attributed to modern day
practices and medicine. Not only did prehistoric peoples help pave the way, but present day
people as well. These events drastically improved modern day surgeons.
Without medical discoveries, procedures, and surgeons, surgery wouldn’t be where it is
today. People would still have to deal and fight with infections, injuries, and more. Whether
these surgeries were good or bad, it still drastically improved what surgeons do today and how
they do it.
Works Cited
Irving,teethni. "Trephination." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 1 May 2013. Web. 05 May
2014.
Walker, Amelie A. "Neolithic Surgery - Archaeology Magazine Archive."Neolithic Surgery Archaeology Magazine Archive. N.p., Oct. 1997. Web. 05 May 2014.
Beyer, Autumn. "Surgical Practices in Ancient Egypt." N.p., 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 5 May 2014.
Halsall, Paul. "Ancient History Sourcebook: Herodotus: Mummification, from The Histories."
Internet History Sourcebooks. N.p., Aug. 2000. Web. 11 May 2014.
"Galen." Galen. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.
"Surgeon." Www.healthcarecareers.org/surgeon. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine."Surgery. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 May 2014.
Bjerg, Greg. "The Hole Story on Trepanation." • Damn Interesting. N.p., 7 Feb. 2006. Web.
11 May 2014.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014.
Web. 09 May 2014.
Yeomans, Sarah K. "Medicine in the Ancient World." Biblical Archaeology Society. N.p., 5
Nov. 2013. Web. 12 May 2014