It's actually more about bandaging; On the Surgery, Hippocrates

 Why you might read On the Surgery?

On the Surgery is a great recap into how to bandage wounds. Unlike its title, this is the main thrust of the work.

In my Self Education project, this fills a completion role. That is to say that its main value is in being part of the wider corpus and a wider understanding.

Content of On the Surgery

On the surgery starts with a discussion of how the surgeon should sit or stand when performing surgery. From there it diverges into discussions on how things should be bandaged. He covers this both in general in then in specific cases. He states that the bandage must always be tight by the amount they are wound around not by pressure.

Reflection on On the Surgery

This text has very little new information, most of it has been covered in other texts.

That being said the directions for how the surgeon must sit or stand are fascinating. They are mainly about how to steady their hands. Whether this is by resting the elbows on the raised knees or by resting the elbows on the sides of the torso. 

What others have to say about On the Surgery

The internet is rather silent on this work. I wonder if that is going to become more common as I work into the more obscure Hippocratic texts.

Comparisons with other texts

The big comparison here is with Fractures. Both texts deal with, as a secondary thing, the binding of wounds. Both texts give the same basic instructions for bandaging. On the Surgery gives more detail in some areas. One of these is when binding something that might slip like a knee.

Conclusion

On the Surgery is mainly a text about Bandaging wound despite its name. It does go into some discussion about how any surgery is to be done at the start, but quickly branches away from that. We have seen a lot of this material in the work Fractures, though this does give us more detail in places.

Have you read On the Surgery? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read On the Surgery but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of On the Surgery.