Lots of complex surgeries that were performed during the Renaissance resulted in the death of patient, or the worsening of the patient's condition.
After people started dissecting humans, their knowledge of disease and cures for the diseases increased greatly. There were a couple surgeries that became popular during the Renaissance. These surgeries were ones for tumors, hernias, and cesarean sections. Surgeries for tumors often resulted in an amputation, which, surprisingly was not fatal. Surgeries for hernias involved righting a displaced organ that was jutting out of the patient's cavity. Cesarean sections were probably the most fatal of these surgeries. Because there was no anesthetic during the Renaissance, every surgery was highly risky. However the cesarean section was probably the most deadly. In this process, doctors made an incision in the uterus of a pregnant women, thus removing the child out through the layer of flesh instead of through her birth canal. The large amount of blood loss usually caused the mothers death, even with the high tech techniques of that time used to stop bleeding such as cautery.
With all the sciences and advancements in surgeries that happened throughout the span of the Renaissance, came set backs, which at the time, were seen as better ways to cure the ill. The main set back of Renaissance medicine was an "art" called blood letting. Bloodletting was one of most ineffective medical techniques of the Renaissance. On top of the fact that it was totally and fully ineffective, it was preformed by inexperienced "barber surgeons", who were barbers that were also expected to preform small surgeries. These people did not attend medical school and barely studied medicine. Barber surgeons carried out this surgical process as a way to thin the blood, which was said to balance out the four humors. The humors were a make believe organ that were said to have four sections. They represented hot, cold, wet, and dry. As it is obvious to see, these are opposites. People thought that the body was controlled by the balance of this fake structure, and that a sickness, such as a fever, was caused by an unbalance in the humors. To try to balance them out again, doctors used a variety of techniques, the most famous, being bloodletting.
People during the Renaissance cared a lot about their social status. Part of their status reflected on the duels that they fought and if they won or lost. People were able to tell if they were a good fighter by the wounds that were exposed. Wounds on the arm and other places that not a lot of people see, were not worth fixing. But wounds on the face were a threat to ones reputation. Thus, a new surgical technique was born, and it is now knows as plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty was a sophisticated surgical process in which a damaged nose was fixed by replacing the missing flesh with new flesh from different parts of the body. During the Middle Ages this skin was taken from the cheek, flipped over to the nose, and sewn on. But that wasn't a great way of doing it because it left a very big scar where the cheek skin was cut. During the Renaissance, a much more effective was of rhinoplasty was made up. This process included sewing part of the arm to the damaged nose, waiting for two months as the skin grows together, and then snipping the skin from the arm. This was a long and painful process.
Surgery during the Renaissance was very unreliable. Most surgeries that were carried out, resulted in the patient’s death due to blood loss. Because there was no anesthesia, many patients went into shock. (Britannica Image Quest)
Bloodletting was a very popular technique used by many Renaissance doctors. Through this process, people hoped to equal out the four humors. (Britannica image Quest)
Rhinoplasty in the Renaissance was a long, painful, and slow process in which the damaged nose flesh was replaced with flesh from the upper arm. Patients who were receiving this treatment were issued a sling to wear that secured the arm in place while the arm skin became attached to the nose. (Britannica Image Quest)