Hieronymus Brunschwig (c. 1450-1513): his life and contributions to surgery

The objective of this paper to offer an overview of the life and contributions of Hieronymus Brunschwig (also known as Jerome of Brunswick), a German surgeon of the fifteenth century, whose works have provided insight into the practice of surgery during his lifetime.

There is disagreement among academics about certain biographical details of Hieronymus Brunschwig's life. Regardless, Brunschwig's productivity as an author distinguishes him as a scholar in the field of surgery among the community of German surgeons in the fifteenth century. His work offers important information about the practice of surgery in fifteenth-century Germany. Certainly, Brunschwig took advantage of the recently invented printing press to gain a wider sphere of influence and was the first to make use of Italian and French surgical sources. Lastly and as evident by his text, Brunschwig practised cranial surgery.