History of General Surgery

"General surgery" is a term that describes the treatment of soft-tissue deformities and injuries, but it also can also refer to the general practice of surgery. Surgery specialties includes plastic surgery, brain surgery, heart surgery and orthopedic surgery. "General surgery," in the narrow sense, is practiced primarily for general injuries, conditions that affect the digestive system and removal of cancerous tumors and growths.

Trepanation

• Trepanation is the earliest known form of surgery with roots that trace back as long ago as 7300 B.C. The procedure, known as trepanning, involved boring a hole into the skull. The membranes of the brain were left intact to protect the brain after the procedure. There have been several reasons as to why this procedure was performed. One popular assumption is that it was performed to ease brain swelling, but others claim trepanation is a therapeutic surgery that gives the recipient a feeling of higher consciousness. This practice is completely illegal in the United States, and no studies have been conducted to determine its effects or risks.

Egypt

• Ancient Egyptian texts dating back as far as 3000 BC have discussed ancient surgical techniques such as brain surgery and oral surgery. One of the oldest documents from ancient Egyptian times, is a surgical text known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus. Archaeologists have also unearthed a 2,000-year-old jawbone with evidence indicating surgery was performed to drain an abscess. Ancient Egyptians also practiced surgical techniques during the mummification process of removing the body's organs. The organs were removed carefully and kept in vases or jars.

Hippocrates

• Hippocrates is remembered as the "father of medicine" and is the man behind what is known as the Hippocratic Oath. As of 2009, the Hippocratic Oath is widely used by practitioners of Western medicine, and they adhere to its ideals surrounding medical ethics. Hippocrates stated in the oath in 400 BC that general physicians must never practice surgery and that surgical procedures are to be conducted by specialists.

Susrutha

• Susrutha is often considered the father of surgery and was one of the first practitioners of the field as early as 400 BC. He is known best in India for contributing an astounding amount of surgical information in several volumes titled "Susruta Samhita." These volumes are written in Susrutha's native language of Sanskrit, but translated copies do exist.

Early Europe

• Most of Europe had adopted the ideals of the Hippocratic Oath by the early 13th century, and many towns demanded that physicians have several years of experience and education before they were to perform surgical procedures. Before the early 1200s, surgery was referred to as a low form of medicine.

Rogerius

• Rogerius was a high-profile figure in the European history of surgery. He went by several aliases such as Rogerius Salernitanus, Roger Frugard, Roger Frugardi and Roggerio dei Frugardi, among others. He authored the widely read work titled "The Practice of Surgery," which was published between 1170 and 1230. However, the actual date is a common topic for debate among history buffs. He was one of the first figures in surgical history to note that severed nerves could be reattached.

Anaesthesia And Infections

• Up until the mid-1800s, surgery was practiced without any anesthesia to relieve pain. Before chemicals like chloroform were introduced in the 1840s, surgical procedures were limited primarily to amputations, which were done quickly. Hygiene standards weren't understood in early surgeries, and deadly infections were common among patients. It wasn't until the 19th century that proper hygiene was practiced during surgical practice when scientists such as Louis Pasteur made discoveries that led to the studies of microbiology.