What Do the Colors of a Barber’s Pole Mean?

I’d like a little off the top, please. Oh, and don’t forget the bloodletting.

You wouldn’t go to your barber today to get that life-saving kidney transplant, but in the early days of modern medicine you used to be able to get a whole lot more than just a shave and a haircut at your local barber shop. In the latest episode of Under the Knife, Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the role barber surgeons played in early modern medicine and the reason why barber’s poles have red and white stripes.

Watch more episodes of Under the Knife right here.