Barber surgeon

The barber surgeon was one of the most common medicalpractitioners of medieval times- generally charged with looking after soldiersduring or after a battle.

They usually took up residence in castleswhere they also provided medical assistanceto the rich and wealthy.

Barber surgeons in the United Kingdom

Formal recognition of their skills (in England at least) goes back to 1540, when the Fellowship of Surgeons(who existed as a distinct profession, but still not "Doctors/Physicians" as we think of them today) merged with the Company of Barbersto form the Company of Barber-Surgeons. However, the trade was gradually put under pressure by the medical profession and in 1745, the surgeons split from the barbers to form the Company of Surgeons. In 1800a Royal Charterwas granted and the Royal College of Surgeonsin London came into being (later it was re-named to cover all of England--equivalant Colleges exist for Scotland and Ireland as well as many of the old UK colonies).

The last vestige of barber-surgeons' links with the medical side of their profession is probably the traditional red and white barber's pole which is said to represent the blood and bandages associated with their older role. Another link is the UK's use of the title Mr. rather than Dr. for consultant surgeons (but not medical ones). This dates back to the days when surgeons gained a RCS diploma rather than a University Doctoral Degree. Even though all surgeons now have to gain a basic medical degree and doctorate (as well as undergoing several more years training in surgery), they still retain their link with the past.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber+surgeon Wikipedia article Barber surgeon.