
S01E01 The Enlightenment
The first attempts at medicine were prompted by the natural instinct for survival and desire to help fellow human beings. But how did mankind emerge from an era of superstition and blind experimentation to usher...
Cardiac surgery is the most recently developed of all surgical fields, and had not even been performed 70 years ago. Doctors generally have two preconditions for surgery: the organ being operated on must be still, and the surgical field must be clear and bloodless. Operating on the heart goes directly against these principles. It seemed an impossible task, until an idea initially dismissed as fanciful brought a glimmer of hope.
A documentary on the history of surgery.