Surgeons and surgery from ancient Persia (5,000 years of surgical history).

Abstract

The development of surgery is indebted to scientists and surgeons from various civilizations throughout history. The present study considers surgery in the ancient Persian civilization. It highlights aspects of the subject, such as findings of the first trephinated skulls in Iran; surgeons' social class (kareto baēšaza in the Avestan language-dating back 3,000 years); surgical operations such as cesarean section and procedures to treat breast cancer; and the use of anesthetic compounds and surgical practice in the military. It is hoped that this catalogue of historical evidence of surgical practice in ancient Persian civilization will contribute to the history of surgery, as an important field in medical science.