At the last meeting Bidford WI was visited by Eddie Smallwood, in the guise of a barber surgeon during the time of the Wars of the Roses.
We knew we were in for a treat when he laid out a range of grisly looking instruments and covered them with a ‘bloodstained’ cloth. He donned an equally bloodstained apron - after all, who would pay a craftsman with no sign of his craft on his person? His bonnet, he told us, was to protect him, not his patient.
Eddie went through each of his instruments explaining in lurid detail how they would be used - and then cleaned with a quick wipe on his apron. He requested a victim or two to demonstrate blood-letting and the amputation of a leg - members bravely stepped forward - and limped away!
He shared his knowledge of a wide range of injuries and illnesses as well as the cures and treatments of them.
We discovered that many of the healing techniques in use during the fifteenth century are either still being used today or are being scientifically investigated with a view to using them in modern medicine. What has definitely changed though, is the use of sterilisation of instruments, our understanding of the importance of cleanliness and, thankfully, the use of anaesthesia.
Eddie received a well deserved round of applause and grateful thanks from the audience. We look forward to welcoming him back in the future for another talk from his repertoire.
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