The Guild of Barbers of Kraków

In the late medieval and early modern eras, barbers were considered official members of the medical profession, albeit of low rank. Their main areas of expertise were bloodletting, preparing ointments, bandaging, and setting bone fractures, as well as other surgical procedures. The Jewish barbers of Kraków were organized into a guild founded in 1639. The regulations of the guild spell out the process of apprenticeship as well as the price list for each operation.