Medical Theory, Surgical Practice

There is a large literature on the history of surgery, most of it describing famous operations, famous surgeons, or great moments such as the introduction of anaesthesia. But modern developments in the history of medicine suggest that surgery needs to be explored as more than a subject with a simple empirical and scientific history. "Medical Theory, Surgical Practice" examines medical and surgical concepts of disease and their relation to the practice of surgery in particular historical settings. It emphasises that understanding concepts of disease does not just include recounting explicit accounts of disease given by medical men. It needs an analysis of the social relations embedded in such concepts. In doing this, the contributors illustrate how surgery rose from a relatively humble place in the 17th century to being seen as one of the great achievements of late Victorian culture. They examine how medical theory and surgical practice relate to social contexts, how physical diagnosis entered medicine and whether anaesthesia and Lister's antiseptic techniques really did cause a revolution in surgical practice. This book should be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates, academics and researchers of the history of medicine and social history.