Kirurger blir läkare : från hantverk till akademi

Sammanfattning: This paper deals with the development of the trade surgery in Sweden, mainly in Stockholm, from the 16th century until training for surgeons was incorporated in the university education for physicians in 1861. Surgeons long claimed to be able to continue their practice, not only with injuries and external illness, but also with internal illness. Surgeons were organized in guilds as craftsmen. For many years, when Sweden was a Great Power, there was a great demand for surgeons for active service in the wars, often going on for long periods. But soon surgeons lost the rights to deal with internal illness after struggle with the organization of university educated physicians. Physicians considered surgeons to be uncultured and ill-bred. However, at the end of the 18th century these two groups came together in the same organization, the one of the university educated. Until 1861 the surgeons kept much of their old education. In the first half of the 19th century the discovery of narcosis and antiseptic revolutionized surgery. Now it became possible for surgeons to treat both external and internal illness. Their social position increased radically. The 19th century has been called “the century of surgery”. In addition, the paper also deals with the causes of this transformation based on the documents used, however without being able to establish one cause as the inevitable one.