Barber

one whose occupation is to shave or trim the beard and to cut and dress the hair. The term is derived from the Latin barba, meaning a beard. Formerly the victim who desired to be shaved sat on a high stool. He held a crescent-shaped or semi-circular basin under his chin, in which the barber made the lather and applied it with his hand. The brush and reclining barber's chair are of recent invention. In early days the business of the barber and surgeon were combined in one. The king's barber-surgeon was a man of eminent attainments. In the reign of Henry VIII the English surgeons secured the enactment of a law that barbers should confine themselves to the minor operations of bloodletting and drawing teeth. Surgeons were forbidden to practice barbery or shaving. The barber's sign or striped pole is a relic of the days when the stripes represented the ribbons or bandage with which the barber wrapped the arm of a patient after letting blood. According to the latest census report, there are 131,116 barbers and hairdressers in the United States. See Surgeon; Figaro