The developments that I think brought about Par's use of ointments to treat gunshot wounds were wars, challenges and also experimentation.

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Ambroise Paré-Using ointment to treat wounds

The developments that I think brought about Paré’s use of ointments to treat gunshot wounds were wars, challenges and also experimentation.

I chose wars as an important development for one very good reason: they brought about the injuries. If it weren’t for wars, barely anybody would get shot. This meant that doctors would get less practice at surgery, so therefore would not have enough experience, and therefore confidence, to experiment. A lack of wars would also mean that the shortages that occurred that did not allow Paré to use conventional methods would not have happened, meaning doctors had no need to experiment.

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I then chose challenges as an important development. This was very important because it meant that doctors were forced to experiment. They had no choice: either let a man die due to being unable to use an age-old method, or experiment and possibly cure him. If they left the man to die they may have been rebuked for doing nothing for the man and their reputation would lay in tatters, whereas with experimenting, they would make a decision to at least try, for which they would surely get praise for. This forced Paré to try out his ointment, which ...

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