Henry the VIII and the Barber-Surgeons
In England, when Henry VIII united the companies of barbers and surgeons in 1540, he gave them the right to the bodies of four hanged criminals per year. These were the only corpses legally available and dissection was considered part of their punishment. After many years of human dissection being illegal in England, Henry VIII finally allowed the barber-surgeons a limited amount of bodies every year to dissect.
bar·ber-sur·geon:
noun(formerly) a barber practicing surgery and dentistry. Origin: 1675–85 |
History of the Barber-Surgeons
1308: First reference to the Barber Surgeons
1368: Licensed to form Guild of Surgeons
1497:Granted earliest English diploma in surgery
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1312: First Recorded Surgeon in group
1493: Agreement to follow city regulations
1540: a new law was passed by Parliament to allot the bodies of four executed criminals for dissection to the guild every year, separating the Surgeons from the Barbers
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