Across the ages, the pursuit of healing has manifested in surprising ways. In medieval Europe, barbers are called upon to perform bloodletting and minor surgeries. They professionalize to form early guilds of barber-surgeons. In Elizabethan England, astrologer physicians like Simon Forman draw on a long history of using astrology as a diagnostic tool and treatment guide. In ancient India around 600 BCE, the 'Father of Surgery' defies taboos and draws on Ayurvedic approaches to innovate surgical tools, perform surgeries, and advance anatomical knowledge.