Chirurgia magna

work by Chauliac

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June 24, 2026

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The Chirurgia magna was a significant work on surgery written by Guy de Chauliac around 1363. It served as a standard text until at least the 17th century. The book detailed various surgical procedures, including those for hernia and cataract, and described a narcotic inhalation for surgical patients. However, it also advocated for treatments that could hinder progress in wound care. Chauliac was a prominent medieval surgeon and physician to popes in Avignon, and he was among the first to distinguish between pneumonic and bubonic plague.1

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Guy de Chauliac
…the European Middle Ages, whose Chirurgia magna (1363) was a standard work on surgery until at least the 17th century. In this work, he describes a narcotic inhalation used as a soporific for surgical patients, as well as numerous surgical procedures, including those for hernia and cataract, which had previously…
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…the European Middle Ages, whose Chirurgia magna (1363) was a standard work on surgery until at least the 17th century. In this work, he describes a narcotic inhalation used as a soporific for surgical patients, as well as numerous surgical procedures, including those for hernia and cataract, which had previously…
Read More

history of medicine
The spread of new learning
His Chirurgia magna (“Great Surgery”), based on observation and experience, had a profound influence upon the progress of surgery.
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His Chirurgia magna (“Great Surgery”), based on observation and experience, had a profound influence upon the progress of surgery.
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