Timeline of surgery and surgical procedures c 5000 bce first known practice of trepanation in ensisheim in france c 3300 bce trepanation broken bones wounds in indus valley civilization c 2613 2494 bce a jaw found in an egyptian fourth dynasty tomb shows the marks of an operation to . To write the history of a scientific discipline particularly surgery which involves science and art is not an easy task but harold ellis manages deftly and succinctly ellis walks ably in the corridors of surgery recognizes the events worth emphasizing analyzes the surgical concepts of the times points out the important surgical figures and puts them into perspective with great . 1896 first successful heart surgery performed in germany surgeons repaired a stab wound in the muscle of the right ventricle 1905 first successful cornea transplant 1917 first documented plastic surgery performed on a burned english sailor. The history of surgery can be traced back to the neolithic age when humans first learned to make handle tools the practice of surgery has always been evolving and surgical techniques develop and become more sophisticated over time however there were principal obstacles associated with early surgery namely bleeding pain and infections