History - Introduction:
Surgery is the first and the highest division of the healing art, pure in itself, perpetual in its applicability, a working product of heaven and sure of fame on earth" - Sushruta (400 B.C.)
The word surgery derives from the Latin word chirurgia, which in turn comes from the Greek cheiros (hand) and ergon (work).
The sixteenth-century French Surgeon Ambroise Pare eloquently described the remit of surgery:
"There are five duties in surgery; to remove what is superfluous, to restore what has been dislocated, to separate what has grown together, to reunite what has been divided and to redress the defects of nature." - Ambroise Pare
In today's society, it seems impossible to image a life without hospitals, anaesthetics or operating theatres, or not understanding the circulatory system. Modern surgery however, has only become possible due to discoveries being made and surgical techniques being pioneered.
The aim of this is to provide a brief overview of surgical practise and development through the ages.
