Meaning
A medical practitioner who performed operations and treated wounds and injuries.
Description
Surgeons in earlier centuries were distinct from physicians, being trained through apprenticeship rather than university education and dealing with external conditions requiring manual intervention. They set bones, amputated limbs, treated wounds and performed operations without anaesthetic until the mid-19th century. The separation between surgeons and physicians gradually broke down and the Apothecaries Act of 1815 and the Medical Act of 1858 created a more unified medical profession. Victorian surgeons benefited from the introduction of anaesthesia and antiseptic technique which transformed the safety and scope of surgery.
Also Known As
Surgeon Apothecary, Medical Practitioner, Doctor
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Trade Directories
- Parish Registers
- Medical Records
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