title: The qualities and conduct of an English surgeon in 1446: as described in a manuscript attributed to Thomas Morstede.
abstract: The year 1996 marks the 550th Anniversary of an anonymous manuscript which represents one of the earliest surgical works written in English. Generally attributed to Thomas Morstede, Serjeant-Surgeon to King Henry V, the book was for many centuries considered to have been lost and has escaped detailed examination by the surgeons of today. We present a modern translation of its first chapter in which the author outlines the range of equipment a fifteenth-century surgeon would use, the personal qualities all surgeons should possess, and the manner in which surgical practice should be conducted.
authors.affiliation: Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit, School of Biomedical Sciences, Bradford University.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Naylor
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004739:England; D013502:General Surgery / Q000266:history*; D049668:History, 15th Century; D006801:Humans; D008374:Manuscripts, Medical as Topic / Q000266:history*; D013525:Surgical Instruments / Q000266:history