Original scientific paper
The Expertise of Surgeons and Barbers in theCriminal Proceedings of Eighteenth-century Dubrovnik
Neda Kovačić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5440-2425
; Sveučilište u Dubrovniku, Dubrovnik, Hrvatska
Abstract
Medical expertise recorded in eighteenth-century books of the Dubrovnik
Criminal Court represents a valuable source for the study of legal, medical and
social history.
Due to the short style of the verdict, not provided with legal arguments, the impact of medical expertise on the Court’s final decision or penalty can only be determined indirectly, through the study of individual cases. In establishing the facts, the court addressed those whose expertise and experience could be of assistance. As the bulk of the medical questions regarded wounds and injuries, it is not surprising that the majority of expert opinions were furnished by surgeons and barbers, and not by physicians. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the expert evaluations of the barbers abounded, and in terms of content and typology hardly differed from the expert opinions of the surgeons, but later they became less frequent. With the arrival of better trained surgeons in the mid-century, it was upon the judges to choose a skilled expert of their confidence. In addition, the surgeons received a state salary, so that their expertise in court was a part of their duty. Physicians were rarely called to the court. In especially sensitive cases the judges sought second opinion, exhibiting thus the hierarchy of the profession: the barbers were usually summoned first, then the surgeons, and finally the physicians. In a number of cases, the judges ordered autopsy to be carried out, while in the cases of infanticide and rape, the court acknowledged the competence of midwives. Although few in number, court procedures in which surgeons, barbers and physicians appear in the roles of defendant, prosecutor or witness provide information about their social and material status, as well as their personal life. Lesser need of medical expertise in cases of physical violence already witnessed in the period 1751-1760 may be accounted by a decrease in the number of severe injuries for which expert opinion was required. The prognosis given by the medical experts and their descriptions of injuries clearly show a declining trend in heavy injuries, too. This confirms the assumption that Dubrovnik in the mideighteenth century saw a historical turnover in the intensity of physical violence, probably in correlation with the increasing economic and social welfare.
Keywords
Dubrovnik; 18th century; Criminal Court; surgeon; barber; medical expertise; violence
Hrčak ID:
137824
URI
Publication date:
14.4.2015.
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