Two Hundred Years of Surgery

The first attempts at medicine were prompted by the natural instinct for survival and desire to help fellow human beings. But how did mankind emerge from an era of superstition and blind experimentation to usher in the age of surgery? In this episode, we answer that question by looking at what was probably the earliest C-section from 1,500 years ago, the Sanctuary of Asclepius where Galen practiced medicine, and Andreas Vesalius’ master work On the Fabric of the Human Body.

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Over 100 years ago, basic technologies such as disinfection, hemostasis, and anesthesia finally allowed surgeons to use the lancet in body cavities. But human beings still had a long way to go before surgery was to become safe and effective. From the discovery of the X-ray in the 19th century to robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery today, this field has undergone dramatic changes over the past 200 years, and its scope is being constantly expanded.