Skip to main content

The gory history of barber surgeons - Stephanie Honchell Smith

663,760 Views

812 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

It’s a cold morning in 15th century France and you’re off to the barber for a shave and haircut. You hear the familiar sound of singing inside and eye a bowl of blood in the window. You grab a cup of ale and examine the array of teeth strung from the walls. Suddenly, a scream sounds from one of the chairs. What's going on? Stephanie Honchell Smith shares the surprising history of barber-surgeons.

How were barber-surgeons generally trained?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Stephanie Honchell Smith
  • Director Arvind Singh Jeena, Nikhita Prabhudesai, Totem Creative
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Storyboard Artist Anantha Krishnan
  • Animator Gaurav Dhaimodkar, Samarth Murkumbi, Anantha Krishnan
  • Clean Up Animator Gaurav Dhaimodkar, Anantha Krishnan
  • Compositor Nishant Ghorpade
  • Art Director Nikhita Prabhudesai, Anantha Krishnan
  • Character Designer Anantha Krishnan
  • Background Artist Samarth Murkumbi, Nishant Ghorpade
  • Composer André Aires
  • Sound Designer André Aires, João Pamplona Mendes
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Produced by Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Shannon Odell

More from The World's People and Places