The Social Status Of The London Surgeon, 1350-1450

Part I of Essay
Many critics' familiarity with the medieval medical community comes from Chaucer's characterization of the Doctor of Physic: "In al this world ne was there noon hym lik, / To speke of phisik and of surgerye."1 But what few critics fail to realize is that there is an import ....

Part II of Essay
.... to enter the field of surgery. In this paper, I will statistically demonstrate that the medieval English surgeon was threatened by the growing number of untrained practitioners between the years 1350 and 1450. In response to this threat, medieval surgeons attempted to institutionalize their profession. Ironically, the manner in which they defined their practice did not restrict untrained practitioners, but actually increased access for medically untrained artisans. In Medical Practitioners in Medieval England, C. H. Talbot and E. A. Hamm ....