@article{2408fbef-7daf-449b-933d-68690358f6cb, author = {Jakub Węglorz}, title = {Theoretical Division of Competences Between Physicians and Surgeons, and the Daily Medical Practice Described in Old-Polish Egodocuments}, journal = {Quarterly Journal of the History of Science and Technology}, volume = {2021}, number = {Volume 66, Issue 2}, year = {2021}, issn = {0023-589X}, pages = {87-102},keywords = {history of medicine; Old-Polish memoirs; egodocuments; 16th–17th centuries}, abstract = {It is predominantly accepted in the historiography of European medicine that, apart from the differences in education, there was a division of competences between physicians educated at universities and barber-surgeons trained in the guild system in terms of their theoretical background. Regardless of the former stereotypes – dating back to the 19th century – relating to the Church-imposed restrictions in teaching surgery at universities, it is believed that the actual differences in terms of competences must have influenced the scope of the undertaken therapeutic activities. A different education model and the predominance of either theoretical or practical knowledge among representatives of these groups resulted in different treatment methods and a different perception of the causes of the disease. Physicians with mainly theoretical knowledge are often put in opposition to practising barber-surgeons. While it seems that the reluctance to bloody operations (sometimes articulated by the surgeons themselves) was a reason for the limited involvement of physicians in the barber-surgeon practice, it is difficult to clearly indicate the factors that would prevent surgeons from dealing with “non-operational” treatment. The article attempts to answer the question to what extent the then-existing differences in education and legal restrictions influenced the actual division of therapeutic tasks and the functioning of various medical professions as viewed from the patient’s perspective.}, doi = {10.4467/0023589XKHNT.21.015.13713}, url = {https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/kwartalnik-historii-nauki-i-techniki/article/teoretyczny-rozdzial-kompetencji-pomiedzy-dawnymi-medykami-i-chirurgami-a-codzienna-praktyka-lecznicza-opisana-w-egodokumentach-staropolskich} }