In the Middle Ages, hair was not the only thing that barbers
cut. They also performed surgery, tooth extractions, and
bloodletting. French authorities drew a fine distinction between
academic surgeons (surgeons of the long robe) and barber
surgeons (surgeons of the short robe), but the latter were
sufficiently accepted by the fourteenth century to have their
own guild, and in 1505 they were admitted to the faculty of the
University of Paris. As an indication of their medical
importance, Harry Perelman points out that Ambroise Pare, "The
father of modern surgery and the greatest surgeon of the
Renaissance," began as a barber surgeon. The barber pole as a
symbol of the profession is a legacy of bloodletting. The barber
surgeon's necessities for that curious custom were a staff for
the patient to grasp (so the veins on the arm would stand out
sharply), a basin to hold leeches and catch blood, and a copious
supply of linen bandages. After the operation was completed, the
bandages would be hung on the staff and so