%0 Journal Article
%T Theoretical Division of Competences Between Physicians and Surgeons, and the Daily Medical Practice Described in Old-Polish Egodocuments
%A Węglorz, Jakub
%J Quarterly Journal of the History of Science and Technology
%V 2021
%R 10.4467/0023589XKHNT.21.015.13713
%N Volume 66, Issue 2
%P 87-102
%K history of medicine, Old-Polish memoirs, egodocuments, 16th–17th centuries
%@ 0023-589X
%D 2021
%U 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
%X 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.