Скачать или смотреть Haircuts, Blood, and Amputations - When Barbers Were Surgeons

In medieval Europe, barbers were far more than hair cutters. Known as barber-surgeons, they performed bloodletting, tooth extractions, wound treatment, and even amputations alongside shaving and haircuts. University-trained physicians diagnosed illness but avoided manual procedures, which were considered dirty work. That work fell to barbers, who were skilled with blades and worked directly on the body.

The red and white barber pole traces back to this medical past. Red symbolized blood, while white represented bandages or tourniquets. During bloodletting, patients often gripped a staff to make veins swell, and blood-stained bandages were hung to dry nearby. Over time, this practice became a lasting symbol. Modern barbershops still display a sign rooted in medieval surgery.

⸻

FACT VS MYTH (OPTIONAL ADD-ON)

FACT
From roughly the 12th to 18th centuries, barber-surgeons routinely performed bloodletting, dentistry, minor surgery, and amputations.

MYTH
They were not random butchers. Barber-surgeons trained through apprenticeships and guilds and were respected practitioners by medieval standards.

FACT
The red and white barber pole represents blood and bandages.

MYTH
The blue stripe seen today—especially in the U.S.—is a modern addition and not medieval.

#TrueHistory
#MedievalHistory
#DarkHistory
#WeirdHistory
#BarberPole
#HistoryShorts
#Chronicles
#Shorts