Published: 31 July 2025
Beyond The Knife E08: The Barber Surgeons Of Edinburgh
31 July 2025
35 minutes
Welcome to Beyond the Knife – where history and medicine collide. In this episode, we're joined by Thomas Elliott, Head of Surgeons' Hall Museums, as he takes us deep into the world of Edinburgh’s Barber Surgeons. From bloodletting to trephination, uncover the early - and often astonishing - practices that laid the groundwork for modern surgery. You won’t look at your local barber the same way again.
This episode is hosted by Chanté St Clair Inglis Director of Heritage and Estates at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Produced by Jordanna Kielty-O'Neill and Keshena Goldie for Surgeons' Hall Museums, Library and Archives.
Music Credit: Zap Splat- In His Own Way