[Rise of the wound surgeon to academic surgeon: myth or historical fact?]

In contrast to modern academic surgery, in 19th century German medical care was mainly taken by non-academic barber surgeons. Only after the foundation of the German Reich (1871) the practice of surgery was made conditional on a full study of medicine. The present article follows up the moot question whether the last generation of barber surgeons succeeded in rising to academic status or if the strong tradition of surgery in barber families was brought to a complete standstill. By evaluating archival documents it can be clearly shown that the professional distance between barber surgery and academic medicine was not invincible. A considerable number of barbers and their descendents (subsequently) succeeded in studying medicine and starting a medical career.