BARBER-SURGEONS. In former limes, as stated in the foregoing article, barbers acted as a kind of surgeons, or at least phlebotomists, and such appears to have been the case In all countries. Till this day, on the pole on which the barber's basin is sus pended. there is represented a twisted or spiral ribbon, which symbolizes the winding of a ribbon round tire arm previous to bloodletting. In London, Edinburgh, and else where, the B. formed corporations with certain privileges. The surgical duties of these bodies now pertain to the corporations of surgeons. The existence of B. as professors of the healing art, in England, can be traced as far back as the rip of Edward IV. in 1461, when they were first incorporated; and from thence till the reign of Henry VIII., when they were united with tire surgeons, until the time of Georsie II., when the B. ceased to be anything but barbers, as we now understand the term. In the latter reign, an act was passed, the 18 Geo. II. c, 15, from the preamble of which we learn that reign, till then had the discovery been made that tire business or trade of a barber was " foreign to, and independent of, the practice of surgery;" and it therefore proceeds to dissolve the connection between the two bodies, and to remit tire B. to the more humble func tions they now perform. But this is done with an express saving of all their privileges as a company or corporation, and as such they exist to tire present day. See an inter
esting account of them in Knight's History of London, vol. iii. pp. 177-192, which con cludes with the following curious extract from tire list of officers to Heriot's hospital in the statutes of that charity compiled In 1627: " One chirurgeon barber who shall eat end pole the hair of all the scholars of the ircspital; and also look to the cure of all those within the hospital who anyway shall stand in need of his art." And see the report of the royal commissioners appointed to inquire into the corporations of London, and printed in 1837, in which all particulars relating to the government and working of this company at the present day are given. The report states that the company exists "for using and exer cising the art and mystery of barbers, which includes hair-dressers within the suburbs and liberties of the city;" and it concludes as follows: " The company possess exten sive powers for the regulation of the trade, but in practice none are exercised except the power of compelling all persons using the trade or business of barber (which, as before mentioned, includes hair-dressers) within the city to become free of the company." The barbers still retain their ancient hall—which they possessed before the surgeons were disunited from them—in Monkwell street, Cripplegate, in the city of Loudon. See