History Main / MeatgrinderSurgery

** This is a popular myth, but not exactly based in historical fact. Ether was available as early as the Civil War, and the use of forceps to tie off the blood vessels and arteries was invented in Ancient Egypt and rediscovered in the 1600s. Battlefield surgery wasn't ''pretty'', but it wasn't "biting the bullet" either.

--> -- ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36lSzUMBJnc "Meet the Medic"]]

* Standard medical practice in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'''s Ankh-Morpork is hitting the patient over the head with a hammer. The only real doctor in the city (Dr. Lawn from ''Discworld/NightWatch'') is seen as crazy for worrying about things like sanitation, sterilization, and the survival of his patients. One of the reasons that, prior to ''Night Watch'', the most employed physician in the city was Doughnut Jimmy, a horse vet. After all, a good racehorse is expensive and a big earner, so Jimmy could choose between keeping his patients alive or waking up in a bag on the Ankh.

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* Kenny gets one of these in ''SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', after his attempt to set his fart on fire literally backfires. They end up replacing his heart with a baked potato.

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* Surgery in {{M*A*S*H}} is not as bad as this trope but the various characters regard it that way since it is a lot rougher than it would be in a proper hospital. The general term used in the show is "Meatball Surgery".

* The events of an episode of StaragteAtlantis forced Dr. Keller perform brain surgery on McKay with a power drill in a dank cave.

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** This is a popular myth, but [[DidNotDoTheResearch not exactly based in historical fact]]. Ether was available as early as the Civil War, and the use of forceps to tie off the blood vessels and arteries was invented in Ancient Egypt and rediscovered in the 1600s. Battlefield surgery wasn't ''pretty'', but it wasn't "biting the bullet" either.

* Orthopedic surgery (in layman's terms, ''skeletal'' surgery) can appear this way, with the use of power tools, hand tools, and hardware similar to those seen in a workshop (although sterile and much more expensive), as well as the use of what appears to be strenuous amounts of physical pulling and tugging by surgical staff (to ensure proper alignment of joints and bones, etc.). For this reason, it is said that an orthopedic surgeon must be as strong as an ox, and TWICE as smart!

* Orthopedic surgery (in layman's terms, ''skeletal'' surgery) can appear this way, with the use of power tools, hand tools, and hardware similar to those seen in a workshop (although sterile and much more expensive), as well as the use of what appears to be strenuous amounts of physical pulling and tugging by surgical staff (to ensure proper alignment of joints and bones, etc.).

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* This type was used quite a bit in ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus''.

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* The video for [[Music/WeirdAlYankovic Weird Al]]'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=notKtAgfwDA Like A Surgeon]]

* This trope is used in ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' by Ork doctors, the painboyz (also known as Doks, or Mad Doks). Some don't even bother to use anesthetic at all, preferring to have their patient squirming and kicking so they know he's still alive. Orks are so inhumanly tough that they not only survive, but usually fully recover very quickly.

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* Brain surgery involves drilling a hole in someone's head. The drill is pretty much the same as the one you use at home, just a little more fancy. At least it looks and acts mostly the same.

* Orthopedic surgery can appear this way, with the use of power tools, hand tools, and hardware similar to those seen in a workshop (although sterile and much more expensive), as well as the use of what appears to be strenuous amounts of physical pulling and tugging by surgical staff (to ensure proper alignment of joints and bones, etc.).

-->'''Man:''' "Mr Jones? We've come for you liver."

* Standard medical practice in ''{{Discworld}}'''s Ankh-Morpork is hitting the patient over the head with a hammer. The only real doctor in the city (Dr. Lawn from ''Discworld/NightWatch'') is seen as crazy for worrying about things like sanitation, sterilization, and the survival of his patients. One of the reasons that, prior to Discworld/NightWatch, the most employed physician in the city was Doughnut Jimmy, a horse vet. After all, a good racehorse is expensive and a big earner, so Jimmy could choose between keeping his patients alive or waking up in a bag on the Ankh.
** Ankh-Morpork is also the home of the the delightful new form of medicine known as [[http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Retrophrenology "retrophrenology"]]

* ''Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife'' features two "surgeons" forcibly harvesting organs from a man just because he's got an organ donor card. Mostly offscreen but obviously MeatgrinderSurgery.

* Ice Pick Brain Surgery.

'''Medic''': ''"[[HerrDoctor Vell]], no. But as long as you are, [[CrossesTheLineTwice could you hold your rib cage open a bit?]] "''\\
-->--''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36lSzUMBJnc "Meet the Medic"]]

'''Medic''': ''"[[HerrDoctor Vell]], no. But as long as you are, [[CrossesTheLineTwice could you hold your rib cage open a bit?]] I can't... seem to..."''\\
'''Heavy''': ''[[WorstAid [Screams]]]''\\
'''Medic''': ''"Oh, don't be such a baby... [[HealingFactor ribs grow back!]]" [[[TwoFacedAside to pet dove]]] "No zey don't.''"

* ''MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife'' features two "surgeons" forcibly harvesting organs from a man just because he's got an organ donor card. Mostly offscreen but obviously MeatgrinderSurgery.

* The video for [[WeirdAlYankovic Weird Al]]'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=notKtAgfwDA Like A Surgeon]]

* Eric Flint's book ''1812: The Rivers of War'' provides an excellent example of this, which was TruthInTelevision at the time. The patient denies the issued anaestetic, which is raw Navy rum (he has a bottle of emergency laudanum packed away, which he uses), but he knows that refusing the anaesthetic the surgeon tried to give him would be good for his reputation regardless. Also, a quote:

* [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Dr. Nick Riviera]] is basically the living avatar of this trope.

'''Medic''': ''"Oh, don't be such a baby... [[HealingFactor ribs grow back!]]" [[[TwoFacedAside to pet dove]]] "No zey don't.''"\\