Historical perspectives on the surgical treatment of hernias in Greece: from 18th century's attempts to late 19th century's innovations in hernia surgery.

Purpose: To understand the possibilities and the limitations of the modern Greek surgeons during nineteenth century on hernia surgery.

Methods: Research on the authentic medical writings of the Greek physicians during nineteenth century. The majority of them is brought to light for the first time.

Results: The Greek surgeons of the nineteenth century tried a lot to be updated according to the achievements of the European surgeons regarding the surgery of hernias. Many prominent Greek surgeons contributed to the formation of a scientific method in order this to be taught to the medical students and to the other Greek physicians of the time.

Conclusion: In Greece, it was Spyridon Kontoleon who adopted Lister's method to prevent infections, while his team of physicians contributed further in hernia surgery. The earliest documented with a figure hernia case was that of Pavlos Ioannou in 1882. Theodoros Aretaios recorded his cases, demonstrating an interest in hydroceles. Many of his cases may be found in his archive in the National Library of Greece. Procedures' description and vivid depictions paved the way of hernia surgery's evolution in the newly formed Greek state.