"Historically "cutting the stone" was likely the first surgical technique for a single surgical disease, with written references back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians 1. This procedure was used to extract a bladder stone by a perineal approach, and in the pre-anaesthetic era, this must have been extremely painful. Indeed until the Renaissance the operation was generally performed in children only, usually boys. The enlarging prostate in men precluded the operation in adults."