The story of 'doctor,' 'physician,' and 'surgeon'.

In ancient Greece there was a group of philosophers called Physikos. They were noted for gaining their knowledge of nature from thinking rather than studying it first hand. From these thoughts they taught biology and medicine, and were called doctors ("to teach "); their students, "physicus", or physician. Physicians who worked with their hands were called "surgeons." Being well versed in the theory of diseases and their treatment, surgeons were distinguished from the ancient Greek chiropodest (who worked on patients' hands and feet). Subsequently, 5th century Roman barbers and Medieval European barbers were also doing surgical procedures-things like extracting teeth, treating wounds, and bleeding patients. Unfortunately, their operations-draining blood from sick patients (to release fevers and evil spirits) and "cuttings" to remove bladder stones-generally caused more harm than good. Since their practices commonly caused suffering and death, European surgery was not held in high esteem. The word "surgeon" came into English in the 14th century. It designated those medical practitioners who, instead of administering drugs, performed manual operations on the body. Considering blood-letting as demeaning, they left it to the barber surgeons-known as "surgeons of the short robe. " It is from their bloodletting that the red and white stripped barber pole developed-the red standing for blood, the white for the bandage, and the basin for the vessel used to receive blood. The importance of the pole was that it represented a "medical care" symbol which people could easily recognize since, in these times, few people could read. For these reasons, pictures and emblems of barber poles were used as shop signs. To compete with barber surgeons of the short robe, France introduced "surgeons of the long robe." In early Renaissance France and England, the long robe physician surgeons were known primarily for working with their hands in a non-invasive way. They also performed external manipulations of a given patient's body. In the 14th century, they switched over to performing invasive procedures. This switch was triggered by the high class medicine of the Byzantine and Arabian surgeons. More urgent was the public demand for better results than they were receiving at the hands of itinerant barbers and wandering quacks. Up to this time, an upgrade in surgery had been slow to develop because of: (1) a lack of anesthesia; (2) an ignorance of the nature and control of infection; (3) an absence of understanding anatomy; and (4) an inability to …