Turning points in surgery, especially in the 19th century
There were lots of different injuries that surgeons would try and treat. In the 16th century, Surgery wasn't taught in the universities. People became surgeons by being apprenticed to another surgeon, watching his or her work and copying it.
There were guilds of surgeons who controlled entry into the profession. Master surgeons needed to have licenses and sometimes had to pass lengthy tests. Women had to pass these same tests to become surgeons and a great number did.
One of the main turning points in surgery was in the Renaissance period and the man involved was Ambroise Pare. Before he came along, a process called Cauterization treated wounds. Pare had never treated a gunshot wound before he became an army surgeon in 1536 and then he had to treat lots once the wars started!! He had read the works of Jean de Vigo and come to the conclusion that the only way to treat a wound was by pouring boiling oil all over it. He used this method many times but after a long time, it finally ran out. What was he going to do? He had to think fast because there was a war going on. He quickly mixed egg yolks, oil of roses and turpentine together.