Zachary B Friedenberg records the fascinating history of surgical practices through the ages, from the earliest operation of trepanning during the Stone Age to details of Egyptian surgery recovered on Papyri, to Sushruta samhita, of India, and to the medieval Europe until the advent of science in surgery by such persons as William Harvey and John Hunter.\\In addition to the wealth of information on various treatments in this book, the reader is also guided through the maze of potential impediments that advances always face. These included condemnation by the Church for heresy, and rejected factual evidence, because of slavish adherence to texts that had been revered for centuries.\\This history of surgery is compelling reading, as the author follows an historical timeline of vital interest to historians and those intrigued by the development of medicine. No prior knowledge of the subject is needed; simply read it and enjoy it.

Preface -- The Dawn of Surgery -- Surgery in the Cradle of Civilization - Mesopotamia -- Surgery in Ancient Egypt -- Surgery in Ancient China -- Surgery of the Sushruta in Ancient India -- Surgery in the Bible -- Hippocrates and the Surgery of Ancient Greece -- The First University - Surgery at Alexandria -- Surgery in Rome and the Roman Empire -- Arabian Surgery and its Spread Westward -- Surgery in Medieval Europe -- Surgery of the Renaissance -- Barber-Surgeons -- Discovery of the Circulation of die Blood -- Cutting for the Gripe -- The Dawn of Scientific Surgery -- A View of the Distant Horizon -- References -- Index