(I) Until the twentieth century, methods of treating disease were rooted in local customs.(II) The medicine practiced in one area was often quite different from medicine elsewhere. In rural areas people combined local folk custom with information gleaned from medical dictionaries to treat illnesses. (IV) Many discoveries made in the 19th century led to great advances in surgical methods. (V) Similarly, doctors, not yet an elite professional group, were usually trained through a combination of schooling and apprenticeship.