18 Early Surgical Practices That Seem Shocking Today

Modern surgery is a safe and sterile process that relies on advanced technology and deep biological knowledge. However, for most of human history, surgeons operated without the benefit of anesthesia or an understanding of germs. They used heavy metal tools and relied on speed to finish a procedure before a patient went into shock. Many of these early methods seem truly shocking to us now because they were often more harmful than the original injury. We can see how surgeons struggled to save lives with very limited resources and incorrect theories about how the body works. It is important to look back at these practices to understand the evolution of medicine. We no longer use fire or unwashed hands to treat wounds in a hospital. This progress has saved millions of lives over the last century. Learning about the past helps us appreciate the safety of the present.

1. The Use Of Boiling Oil

In the Middle Ages, surgeons often poured boiling oil directly into open gunshot wounds. They believed the heat would kill any poison from the gunpowder and stop the bleeding immediately. This practice caused agonizing pain and severe tissue damage to the patient. It was not until a surgeon named Ambroise Pare ran out of oil during a battle that a better way was found. He used a simple mixture of egg yolks and rose oil instead. To his surprise, the patients who did not receive the boiling oil healed much faster and suffered far less. This discovery was a major turning point in how doctors treated injuries on the battlefield. We now know that extreme heat destroys healthy cells and makes it harder for a wound to heal.

2. The Speed Of Amputation

Before doctors had reliable ways to put patients to sleep, the best surgeons were the ones who could work the fastest. For example, an amputation often took less than two minutes from start to finish since the goal was to remove the limb before the patient lost too much blood or died from the sheer pain of the cuts. Surgeons used large saws and sharp knives that were often not cleaned between different patients. While the speed saved some people from immediate shock, the lack of cleanliness led to many fatal infections later on. It was a brutal and terrifying experience for anyone on the operating table. Today, surgeons take their time to ensure every blood vessel is sealed and the area is perfectly clean.

3. The Practice Of Trepanning

Trepanation is one of the oldest surgical acts where a hole was bored into a person’s skull. Ancient healers believed this would release pressure or let out spirits that caused seizures and mental illness. They used stone tools or metal drills to scrape away the bone until the brain was exposed. While it sounds like a death sentence, many skulls have been found with signs of bone healing. This means some people actually survived having a hole carved into their heads without any medicine. It was a very common practice in many different cultures for thousands of years. We now only remove parts of the skull during very specific emergencies to save a person from a brain injury or a heavy bleed.

4. The Use Of Red Hot Irons

Cauterization involved using a piece of metal heated in a fire to burn a wound shut. This was a standard way to stop heavy bleeding after a limb was removed or a deep cut occurred. The heat would sear the flesh and seal the blood vessels instantly. However, the process caused massive third-degree burns that were very likely to become infected in the days following the surgery. It was a desperate and violent way to keep a person from bleeding to death on the spot. Modern medicine uses electricity to do something similar, but it is done very precisely and while the patient is fully unconscious. The old version was a traumatic event that left survivors with deep physical and emotional scars.

5. The Reliance On Unwashed Hands

For a long time, surgeons did not believe that they needed to wash their hands or instruments between surgeries. They often wore the same blood-stained coats for years as a sign of their experience and skill. They would move from performing an autopsy on a dead body directly to helping a woman give birth without cleaning anything. This caused thousands of unnecessary deaths from what was called childbed fever. A doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis eventually noticed that washing hands with lime reduced deaths significantly. However, many other doctors at the time were insulted by the idea that their hands could be dirty. It took many more decades for the medical world to accept the basic idea of germ theory.

6. The Extraction Of Bladder Stones

In the past, many people suffered from painful stones in their bladders that made it impossible to pass water. Surgeons would perform a procedure called a lithotomy to remove them. This involved cutting into the sensitive area while the patient was held down by several strong assistants. The surgeon would reach in with a hook or pliers to pull the stone out through the incision. Because there was no way to numb the pain, the screams of the patient could be heard throughout the building. It was a very dangerous surgery that often resulted in permanent damage or a fatal infection. We now use lasers or cameras to break up stones without needing to make such large and painful cuts.

7. The Application Of Cinders

When a person suffered a serious burn in the eighteenth century, some healers suggested applying hot cinders or ash to the area. They believed that the heat from the ash would draw out the heat of the burn. This logic was based on the idea of treating like with like, but it only served to make the injury much worse. It added dirt and bacteria directly into the damaged skin, which almost always led to a severe infection. This treatment is a perfect example of how early medical theories were often the exact opposite of what a patient actually needed. We now know that cooling a burn with clean water is the best first step to stop the damage from spreading deeper into the body.

8. The Stitching With Ants

In some ancient cultures, surgeons used large ants to stitch up wounds. They would hold the edges of a cut together and then let an ant bite across the opening. Once the ant clamped its jaws shut, the surgeon would twist off the body and leave the head behind as a natural staple. This method was surprisingly effective at keeping a wound closed until it could heal on its own. While it sounds very strange and primitive, it shows the clever ways people used nature when they did not have needles or silk thread. Of course, this carried a high risk of introducing bacteria from the insect into the bloodstream. We now use sterile sutures or medical glue that dissolves safely over time.

9. The Use Of Human Fat

During the Renaissance, some surgeons believed that human fat had special healing properties for wounds. They would collect fat from deceased individuals and use it as an ointment for the living. It was thought to be especially helpful for treating deep cuts and bone injuries. People believed that the substance would help the body knit itself back together more quickly. This practice was part of a wider trend of using human parts in medicine, which we now find very disturbing. There was no scientific evidence that human fat was better than any other type of grease or oil. In fact, using it likely spread diseases from the dead to the sick, making their condition much worse.

10. The Surgery For Tongue Tie

For centuries, many doctors believed that if a baby was slow to start talking, it was because their tongue was physically tied to the bottom of their mouth. To fix this, they would use a sharp fingernail or a small knife to rip or cut the thin tissue under the tongue. This was often done to infants who did not actually need it. The procedure was performed without any cleaning or numbing, which led to a high risk of infection and heavy bleeding in the mouth. While tongue tie is a real medical condition that is still treated today, the old version was done far too often and with very crude tools. We now only perform this minor surgery when it is truly necessary for feeding.

11. The Practice Of Eye Couching

Couching was an early form of cataract surgery that dates back thousands of years. A surgeon would use a sharp needle to poke the eye and push the cloudy lens down into the back of the eyeball. This would allow some light to enter the eye again, giving the patient a very blurry form of vision. While it was better than being totally blind, it was an incredibly dangerous and painful process. The needle was often dirty, and the eye would frequently become infected or suffer from high pressure and go completely dark. It is amazing to think that people were willing to let someone stick a needle in their eye while they were awake. We now remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear plastic one.

12. The Use Of Lead Splints

When a person broke a bone in the past, doctors sometimes used splints made of lead to hold the limb in place. They liked lead because it was heavy and easy to mold around the shape of the arm or leg. However, they did not realize that the skin could absorb the lead over the many weeks it took for the bone to heal. This could lead to lead poisoning, which causes pain, weakness, and damage to the brain. The patient might end up with a straight bone but a very sick body. It took a long time for people to connect the metal splints with the strange symptoms that followed a broken limb. We now use lightweight plaster or plastic that is completely safe for the skin and the body.

13. The Treatment Of Hernias

Early surgery for a hernia was a very violent and often unsuccessful event. Surgeons would sometimes use a heavy weight or a wooden press to try and push the internal organs back into place. If that did not work, they might cut into the body to try and stitch the hole shut using thick, dirty thread. Without any understanding of how to keep the area clean, these surgeries almost always resulted in a massive infection. Many patients preferred to live with the pain of a hernia rather than risk the high chance of dying on the surgeon’s table. Modern hernia repair is a very common and safe procedure that uses tiny cameras and mesh to fix the problem with very little risk to the patient.

14. The Use Of Artificial Leeches

While real leeches were used to drain blood, some inventors created mechanical devices called artificial leeches. These tools used small rotating blades to cut the skin and a vacuum pump to suck the blood out. They were marketed as a cleaner and more controlled version of the living animal. Doctors would use them on the neck or temples to treat things like headaches and eye redness. The problem was that these machines were very difficult to clean inside, so they often carried old blood from one person to the next. This spread blood diseases very quickly between patients in a hospital. We now understand that losing blood does not cure most illnesses and that sharing blood is very dangerous.

15. The Drilling For Tooth Decay

Before the invention of the electric dental drill, dentists used hand-powered tools to remove decay from teeth. These drills were very slow and caused a great deal of heat and vibration in the mouth. The dentist would have to press down very hard while turning a crank or pushing a foot pedal. Because the process took a long time and there was no way to numb the nerves, it was torture for the patient. Many people would wait until their teeth were completely rotten and then just have them pulled out instead of facing the hand drill. Modern dentistry is much faster and uses cool water and numbing medicine to make the experience nearly painless for everyone who goes to the clinic.

16. The Correction Of Scoliosis

In the 19th century, doctors tried to fix curved spines using very heavy metal frames and pulley systems. A patient might be strapped into a machine that stretches their body in different directions to try to force the bones straight. These treatments were often very painful and had to be done for many hours every single day. The machines looked like something from a prison rather than a doctor’s office. While the goal was to help the person walk better, the physical stress often caused more harm to the joints and muscles. We now use much gentler braces and very careful surgeries to help people with spine issues. We focus on supporting the body rather than trying to stretch it into a new shape.

17. The Use Of Wood For Limbs

After a person lost a leg or an arm, the only option for a long time was a simple wooden replacement. These were often heavy, stiff, and very uncomfortable to wear. A wooden peg leg did not have a knee or an ankle, so the person had to walk with a very difficult and tiring motion. The wood would often rub against the skin and cause sores that could become infected. There was no way to customize the fit, so most people just had to suffer with whatever they could find. Modern prosthetics are made of light metals and carbon fiber that can mimic the movement of a real human limb. Some even use computers to help the person walk naturally and even run or jump without any pain or trouble.

18. The Surgical Removal Of Ribs

There was a brief and very strange time when some people had their lower ribs surgically removed to achieve a smaller waistline. This was done for fashion rather than for any medical reason. The surgery was incredibly dangerous because it involved cutting deep into the body near the lungs and other vital organs. It often left the person with a permanent weakness in their core and a high risk of internal injuries. Many doctors refused to do it, but some surgeons would perform the operation for a high price. This is a shocking example of how far people have gone to change their bodies for a trend. We now recognize that our ribs are essential for protecting our hearts and helping us breathe properly.

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• surgical practices
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