Evolution of Surgery Before the Common Era

Without surgery and advanced medicine in the 21st century, many lives would be lost to preventable medical conditions and infectious disease. If one was to ask every person who walked down a street in an hour time period, most would say they have had some type of surgery in their lifetime. Surgery has evolved since prehistoric medicine. Looking at surgery from before the common era, research has turned to sources such as skeletons, cave painting, or artifacts (Dobanovacki, et al 28). Trephination is the oldest known surgery. It was used to release the spirit within individuals who were suffering from epilepsy, mental disease, and headaches (Dobanovacki, et al 28). Circumcision and the use of ants to suture wounds were also known surgical practices in B.C.E. (Dobanovacki, et al 29). Surgery varied to great degrees from civilization to civilization. Different practices were carried over into the next civilization. In the article “Surgery Before Common Era”, these practices are explained in great detail regarding how they evolved and where the originated from if the place of origin is different than the civilization that is being discussed.

In reading the summary of the article, the authors first go into detail regarding how the study of medicine has occurred, which directly relates to the evolution of surgery.

Based on skeleton examination, cave-paintings and mummies the study of prehistoric medicine tells that the surgical experience dated with skull trepanning, male circumcision, and warfare wound healing. In prehistoric tribes, medicine was a mixture of magic, herbal remedy, and superstitious beliefs practiced by witch doctors. (Dobanovacki, et al 28).

Surgery is dated back to the first recording being on clay tabl...

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... in which the relationship was further investigated. Mesopotamian surgery had correlations to Greek medicine; however, there is no direct link between the two. Greek surgery was mostly influenced by Egyptian surgery. The Greeks made a great array of medical advances. Eventually, the Greeks were overturned by the Romans, who took many of the Greek physicians and scholars and made them their own. The Romans had a very significant impact on surgery in today’s medical world. As an example, some of the scalpels that were used then have similar shape and function as they today. Dobanovacki’s article “Surgery Before Common Era” had an informative basis for the evolution of surgery in B.C.E., which demonstrated the different impacts war and overtaking civilizations had on the continuing development of medical practices, which impacts even today’s surgical procedures.