Introduction

Lanfrano's Chirurgia parva, translated by John Hall, 1565

The 16th century English surgeon, John Hall, translated the medieval Chirurgia parva of Lanfranc and added to it his lament for the poor training of surgeons in his own time. His poetical defense of surgery was intended to show "the behavour that is requyred in a true chirurgien to his paciente, and of one chirurgien to an other concernynge councell, honeste workyng, and knowledge, I have thought good to gather the councels, and good documentes of dyvers good and veterate authores, (and have formed the same into Englyshe verses, or metre), and here to place the same, for the better instruction of all yonge chirurgiens, that it may as well be easy to learne, as apte to be kepte in memorie, of all wyllynge learners."