In our time, surgery and medicine are closely allied disciplines. This was also true in ancient Greece and Rome. However, through the Renaissance and until the 18th century in Western Europe, surgery was considered more a trade than a profession, and surgeons had more to do with barbers than with physicians.

This separation between surgery and medicine may have originated in religious attitudes. During the early Middle Ages, most healing (both medical and surgical) was carried out by members of the clergy. However, concern arose about the shedding of blood by priests, and a papal decree (reinforced in 1215 by the Tenth Lateran Council) prohibited priests from doing surgery. As a result, responsibility for surgery passed to monasteries, where it was conducted by barbers who had experience with razors. At first, this was likely done under the supervision of priests. Eventually, surgery spread outside of monasteries, especially during times...