scotianostra:On October 13th 1506 James IV ratified the charter of the seal of cause of the Guild of
scotianostra:On October 13th 1506 James IV ratified the charter of the seal of cause of the Guild of Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh, forerunner of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.The barbers in Edinburgh were associated from an early date with the surgeons of the town, and the two were united in a single Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers in 1506. By 1722 these two occupations had drifted apart, the surgeons gradually going up in the world and considering themselves no longer to be a craft but a profession, while the barbers had not passed all the same examinations and did not possess as many skills and qualifications.In addition to shaving and hair-cutting, some barbers (but not all) were also wigmakers. Some of them could dress wounds, lance boils, remove moles, warts and fistulas, bleed their customers (intentionally or otherwise), extract teeth and apply leeches. They also sold perfumes and toiletries to help make ends meet.Barbers (who displayed their poles of blue and white) could only practice hair cutting, bloodletting and teeth pulling – while the surgeons (with poles of red and white) could conduct surgical operations but were not allowed to shave people or cut their hair. Food for thought the next time you walk into a barber shop sporting a red and white spiralled pole out front.I like looking through the old history books online and one of my favourites is Cassells Old and New Edinburgh a six volume set of books by James Grant (published in the 1880s) with searchable text engine, It’s a wealth of info for someone like me, although the text it is written in is understandably from a different time, this is how they wrote about the Surgeons and Barbers 140 or so years back.On the west side of the Pleasance, and immediately within the south-east angle of the city wall referred to, stood the old Chirurgeons’ Hall, in the High School yards. The surgeons and barbers were formed into a corporation by the town-council..; under the seal of cause, or charter, certain rules were prescribed for the good order of this fraternity. On the 13th of October, James V. ratified this charter; and Queen Mary, says Arnot, “in consideration of the great attendance required of surgeons upon their patients, granted them an exemption from serving upon juries, and from watching and warding within the city of Edinburgh, privileges which were afterwards confirmed by Parliament.”As well as Cassells I delve into the records of the organisations themselves like you can do here https://library.rcsed.ac.uk/ -- source link
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