title: From ancient to contemporary times: a concise history of incisional hernia repair.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This historical review explores the origins of incisional hernia surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Resources from each significant historical time period were reviewed, namely ancient times, the Greco-Roman period, the Middle Ages and the dawn of the surgeon anatomist, and the modern era.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although incisional hernias only started to be widely reported in the literature in the early twentieth century, an awareness of the risk of incisional hernia formation dates back to ancient times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sometimes, it is important to look back at the history and evolution of a topic to continue making positive advances in that field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth PL6 8DH, UK. dsanders@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kingsnorth
mesh_terms: D006547:Hernia / Q000266:history*; D059685:Herniorrhaphy / Q000266:history*; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans