Tuesday, May 17, 2011

What were early 13th century doctors like?

In the middle ages, there were many different types of doctors. But, the quality of the doctor you got depended on your wealth. If you were very wealthy, then you got treated by the best doctor called a Physician. But the bad thing was the bad thing was, Physicians were small in number and mostly located in certain cities only. The Physicians trained for five years. Their education well prepared them for teaching others.
      Next came the Surgeons. The Surgeons preformed the operations that the Physicians found beneath them, like fixing broken bones or closing wounds. Surgeons were trained by other Surgeons and relied more on hands on work that books. Surgeons also preformed blood-lettings (cutting open a vein to let out infected blood.), treated hemorrhages, removed gallstones and delivered babies by cesarean section (c-section).
      Barbers were the doctors for the poor (Yes! Barbers!). Barbers removed teeth and cut hair. Barbers were well below Surgeons. But, by the 15th century Surgeons reluctantly accepted the Barbers as their equals. Now called Barber-Surgeons, before continuing with their new status, the Barber-Surgeons had to receive actual training.
      The last group of doctors were for people who couldn't even afford Barbers! Those doctors were called Leeches. Just like Barbers, some had zero training but, they used herbal and folk remedies. Some Leeches had skill, learning from watching and assisting Surgeons.  







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