Yes, and More: The Fascinating History of Barber-Surgeons and Early Dentistry

Summary:

Did you know that the person who cut your grandpa’s hair might have also pulled out his aching tooth? Strange as it may sound, barbers used to do much more than haircuts—they were also the dentists, surgeons, and even a sort of doctor for many centuries. In this article, you’ll discover how barbers and dentists started out as the same job, what changed over time, and why modern dental care is so different. If you’ve ever looked at that spinning red-and-white pole outside a barbershop and wondered what it really means, you’re in for lots of surprises!

Table of Contents

Who Were the Barber-Surgeons?

A long time ago, things were very different when people needed help with health problems. The barber-surgeon was a special person found in many towns. Imagine someone who could give you a shave, bandage a cut, and pull out a bad tooth—all in the same afternoon!

Barber-surgeons were popular mostly from the Middle Ages (about 500 to 1500 AD) up to the 1800s. Back then, there were barely any medical schools, and not many doctors around. Normal people needed someone close by who could help with pain, wounds, or sickness. That’s how barbers became the “do-it-all” workers for all sorts of troubles.

Why Did Barbers Start Pulling Teeth?

You might wonder, “How did barbers become dentists in the first place?” The answer is simple: there were not enough doctors. Most doctors (the old word for them is physicians) only worked for rich people, kings, or queens, and they did not want to do tough jobs like surgery or pulling teeth. They thought of themselves as thinkers, not doers.

But people still got toothaches, sores, and wounds. So, barbers jumped in to fill this big need. They already used sharp tools for shaving, so it made sense for locals to ask them for a sore tooth pull or help after an accident.

At the time, people also believed in things like bloodletting (taking blood out) could cure sickness, and this ended up being a barber’s job too.

What Was Healthcare Like in Medieval Times?

Imagine living in a time without hospitals, antibiotics, or even soap. If you got sick or hurt in the Middle Ages or even a long time after, you only had a few options:

• Try something at home or go see a local apothecary (like an early chemist).
• If it wasn’t bad, you might try to fix it yourself.
• For bigger problems—like a deep cut or a really bad toothache—you would go to the barber-surgeon.

These barber-surgeons would deal with all sorts of cases, from fevers to broken bones. Sometimes, their shops were busy places where people came for a chat as well as help. There weren’t private hospitals unless you were rich, so the local barber was a big help.

Here’s a simple chart showing who did what in the old days:

What Jobs Did Barber-Surgeons Do?

You might think a barber just cuts hair, but barber-surgeons did lots of different things. Here are some of their main jobs:

• Hair-Cutting & Shaving: Still their day-to-day work and how they made most of their money.
• Tooth Pulling: If your tooth hurt, you’d visit the barber. He would pull it out using big metal pliers.
• Bloodletting: Back then, people thought draining “bad blood” would fix fevers and sickness. Barbers used razors or even leeches for this.
• Small Surgery: They would stitch wounds, drain boils, and sometimes cut off infected fingers or toes.
• Bone-setting: If you broke an arm or a leg, the barber-surgeon would try to put it back.

During wars, barber-surgeons went with the army. They helped hurt soldiers and pulled out arrows.

Was it always safe? No, but it was better than nothing. Back then, people didn’t know about germs, and there was no pain relief, so these jobs were really risky.

What Tools Did Barbers Use for Surgery and Dentistry?

If you think your dentist’s tools look scary today, imagine what a barber-surgeon used! Their collection included:

• Razors for shaving
• Pliers (forceps) to pull teeth
• Small knives (scalpels and lancets) to cut for small surgeries and bloodletting
• Glass cups for “pulling out” sickness
• Bowls to catch blood

There really was no pain relief. Some barbers gave people a strong drink or told them to bite a stick. Even so, desperate people would try anything to stop their pain.

Cleanliness wasn’t really a thing back then. They didn’t know about germs, so barbers would just wipe their tools on a cloth and use them again. Pretty scary when you think about it today!

How and Why Did Barbers and Dentists Split Up?

So, what changed? Why don’t you get your teeth pulled at the barber anymore?

As science and knowledge got better, the difference between real doctors, surgeons, and barbers became clearer. Groups for doctors formed to protect their jobs and make rules. Some doctors didn’t want to do “messy” work and left it to barbers. But over time, people wanted workers who were better trained.

Some big changes:

• 1540 in England: The Barber-Surgeons’ Company started, putting barbers and surgeons together as one group. Then, in 1745, a new law made them split, so surgeons could be their own thing.
• France, early 1700s: Pierre Fauchard helped start what we call dentistry today. He wrote a famous book about how to care for teeth and made it more like a science.
• 1800s: The US started the first dental schools, like the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. People learned the right way to fix teeth.

So, barbers slowly went back to just cutting hair, and dentists trained to become experts in teeth.

What Is the Story Behind the Barber Pole?

If you’ve seen a barber shop pole, you know the twisted red, white, and sometimes blue stripes spinning around. Do you know where that design comes from?

Long ago, after bloodletting or a small surgery, the barber would hang up bloody bandages outside to dry. Wind would twist them into spirals. The red means blood, the white means bandages, and the pole is the stick the person squeezed during the work.

That’s right—the barber pole is a reminder of their “bloody” history!

How Have Dental Tools and Knowledge Improved?

Today, dentists use safe, new tools. You would not see the same sharp razors and dirty rags from hundreds of years ago! Now, clinics use:

• Clean (sterilized) tools: Everything is super clean, with very few infections.
• Pain relief (anesthesia): Before any work, dentists numb the area so you barely feel anything.
• New pain helpers: There are medicines and gels for comfort.
• Modern dental tools: Like drills, mirrors, digital x-rays, and even 3D printers. Read more about cool new tech at a digital dental lab.

Scientists also found better ways to keep your mouth clean. Some barber-surgeons actually became famous for helping people learn more, like John Hunter and Pierre Fauchard.

What Does Modern Dentistry Look Like?

Walk into a dentist’s office today, and you’ll see it’s way different from old barber shops. Modern dentists really know what they’re doing:

• Dentists go to school for many years and study things like body parts, cleaning, and tools.
• They use special labs to make crowns, bridges, and fake teeth. For example, check out what can be done at a modern china dental lab.
• New stuff like porcelain, ceramic, and zirconia, lets your teeth last longer and look nicer. Take a look at the latest at a dental ceramics lab.
• Lost teeth? An implant dental laboratory can make ones that work like your natural teeth.

With new things like 3D printing and digital scans, today’s dentists can fix teeth problems much faster and safer than barber-surgeons could.

Should You Trust Your Dentist More Than a Barber Today?

Of course! While barbers still do great haircuts and shaves, you want a real dentist if you have a tooth problem. Only dentists know everything about keeping your mouth healthy and fixing it the right way.

If you have a tooth emergency, remember: Go to a dentist—not a barber! The days of tooth pulling in a barber’s chair are long gone, and that’s much better for everyone.

FAQs About Barber-Surgeons

Q: What is a barber-surgeon?

A barber-surgeon was someone who cut hair and also did things like pulling teeth, sewing up cuts, and bloodletting. They worked in towns and villages from old times up to the 1800s.

Q: When did barbers stop being dentists?

Barbers mostly stopped dental work in the 1700s and 1800s, when dentists and surgeons became different jobs.

Q: Why does the barber pole have red, white, and blue stripes?

Red stands for blood, white for bandages, and the pole for the stick you held during surgery. The blue is mainly in the USA and might mean veins or just show patriotism.

Q: Who was the first real dentist?

Pierre Fauchard from France is often called the “father of modern dentistry.” He lived in the early 1700s and wrote a well-known book about teeth.

Q: Did barbers ever do amputations?

Yes, if someone lost a finger or foot, the barber-surgeon might have to take off what was left and try to help the wound heal.

Most Important Things to Remember

• Barbers used to be the closest thing most people had to a dentist or doctor.
• They did haircuts, pulled teeth, did small surgeries—including bloodletting and fixing cuts.
• Barbers and dentists became separate jobs as people learned more and got better education.
• The barber pole is a symbol for haircuts and for an old, bloody history!
• Modern dentists use clean, safe tools, pain relief, and new tech you’ll find at top places like digital dental lab.
• Today, only a trained dentist should work on your teeth, thanks to hundreds of years of change and learning.

References:

• History of the Barber-Surgeons’ Company, Royal College of Surgeons, Pierre Fauchard’s “Le Chirurgien Dentiste” (1728), The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery.
• Barber-surgeons in Medieval Europe—Journal of the History of Medicine.
• American Dental Association: History of Dentistry.