The earliest forms of surgical techniques were almost certainly related to trauma and injury; indeed, evidence of drilling into the skull (trephination) has been found dating back to 6500 BCE1. Couching, the earliest form of cataract surgery – whereby a sharp needle is pushed through the limbus to dislodge a mature cataract into the vitreous – was first described by India’s Sushruta (circa 800 BCE), who is considered the father of surgery.
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