Why did barbers perform surgeries instead of physicians during the Middle Ages?

During the Middle Ages, barbers were often tasked with performing surgeries due to their willingness to handle procedures that involved blood and bodily fluids. This stemmed from the cultural attitudes of the time, where physicians, who often held higher social status and specialized knowledge, preferred to avoid such activities to maintain their refined image. The role of barbers included not only cutting hair but also performing minor surgical procedures, such as bloodletting and treating wounds. This acceptance of bloodshed in their work aligned with the perception that surgeries were less prestigious, allowing barbers to fill a gap left by physicians who shunned these tasks to protect their professional dignity.

The other choices present alternatives that don't align with the historical context. While experience and cost were factors in determining who performed certain roles in healthcare, they do not adequately capture the social and cultural dynamics that influenced why barbers were the ones performing surgery at that time. The availability of physicians might have also played a role, but it was primarily their reluctance to engage in procedures that involved blood that led to barbers stepping into those surgical roles.