An Amputee Smell Like Roses

Ambroise Pare: A Man That Makes An Amputee Smell Like Roses

Ambroise Pare was a French physician, who during the 16th century, made advancements in medicine. Many individuals today regard Pare as the father of modern surgery.

In 1537, Pare was an army physician, attending gunshot victims and suffering patients.  Traditionally, gunshot wounds were treated with boiling hot oil, since the wound itself was considered poisonous. Pare, however, made a mixture of rose oil, turpentine, and egg yolks. The mixture was, of course, much more bearable for the patients. Ironically, this new method healed the wound faster, prompting Pare to publish his findings in 1545.

Ambroise also employed some new methods to amputations, which were typically sealed by cauterizing them to prevent complications or death. Pare reinstated the Roman custom of tying off the vein or artery to prevent bleeding during surgery.
The four kings of France, Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III,  recognized Pare’s abilities and employed him as their royal surgeon.

Pare was an innovator, and in so doing, created several different types of prostheses. Most notable were the designs for a prosthetic hand and ocular prostheses, making artificial eyes from enameled gold, silver, porcelain and glass.