[Professional heritage and social origin of the Württemberg barber surgeons of the 19th century].

In nineteenth-century Württemberg, barber surgeons (Wundärzte) were subdivided into various grades. They were increasingly confronted with severe governmental restrictions that both threatened their professional image and weakened their economical prospects. Therefore an archival study has been made on behalf of the social background of surgical examines by means of their father's occupation. As a result it could be shown that more than half the registered fathers were barber surgeons themselves. About 20 percent of the surgical candidates were recruited from the craft, whereas physicians, apothecaries and other professionals could hardly be found. Even pastors, that were supposed to be professionally linked with surgeons, were rarely made reference to. The candidates were classified into two groups, according to different periods of time (1800 to 1829 and 1830 to 1873). As to the social origin of the examinees, no appreciable differences between both periods could be found.