William of Salicet (1210–1277) (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Guglielmo da Saliceto'';Plinio Prioreschi ''A History of Medicine: Medieval Medicine'' 1996 - Page 453 "Guglielmo da Saliceto" French: ''Guillaume de Salicet'';

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Guilielmus de Salicetum'') was an Italian surgeon and

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

in Saliceto. He broke tradition with

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one ...

by claiming that

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

formation was bad for wounds and for the patient. He was a professor at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

. In 1275 he wrote '' Chirurgia'' which promoted the use of a surgical knife over cauterizing. He also was the author of ''Summa conservationis et curationis'' on

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

and

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

Lanfranc of Milan Lanfranc of Milan (–1315), variously called , or , was an Italian cleric, surgeon who set up practice in France. Lanfranc was appointed personal physician to Philip IV of France and in 1296 published a thesis on surgery under the title Chirurg ...

was a pupil who brought William's methods into France. William gave lectures on the importance of regular

bathing Bathing is the act of washing the body, usually with water, or the immersion of the body in water. It may be practiced for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapy, therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the ...

for infants, and special care for the hygiene of

pregnant women Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...

References

*''The Surgery of William of Saliceto'', English translation by Leonard D. Rosenman . *''Copernicus'', Ivan Crowe . *''Medicine and the Italian Universities: 1250-1600,'' Nancy G. Siraisi.

External links

Of blood, inflammation and gunshot wounds:
the history of the control of

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

, AJ Thurston. 1210 births 1277 deaths Italian anatomists 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Medieval surgeons People from the Province of Cuneo 13th-century Italian physicians 13th-century Italian writers 13th-century Latin writers Academic staff of the University of Bologna {{italy-med-bio-stub