In the 16th century, a trip to the barbershop could result in more than a trim. In those days, barbers did the majority of surgery including bloodletting, pulling of teeth, treating bone fractures and external ulcers, and sometimes even primitive operations for cataracts, bladder stones, hernias and the like. King Henry VIII of England was a patient of one of the barber-surgeons, Thomas Vicary, who persuaded the king to declare those of his profession officially surgeons. On July 12, 1540, the king established the United Barber-Surgeon Company and decreed that two hanged criminals a year would be given to the organization for learning anatomy. The group’s symbol, the familiar red and white barber’s pole, signified bandaging and bleeding.

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