1-156-973 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Amputation of a leg without anaesthetic, 1593. A surgeon uses a bow-saw to remove a patient's leg blow the knee while his assistant holds the foot. In the background a man with a well-padded fist stands ready to render the patient unconscious. From Veldt Boeck van den Chirugia Scheel-Hans by Hans von Gersdorf, a Dutch translation of Gersdorf's book published in Strasbourg in 1517, and containing woodcuts from the original edition. (Amsterdam, 1593)