As per historical records detailing most aspects of mankind’s turbulent existence, a look through the annals of wound care and surgery reveals a progressive trend from the dark, early days of unspeakable barbarism and eyewatering brutality, to a civilised, humane age; one in which individuals act with compassion and care for themselves and others. Indeed, the famed cognitive psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker (2011) has argued that violence in world has declined over time, claiming that this decline “may be the most significant and least appreciated development in the history of our species” (Pinker 2011). It could also be argued that this decline in violence in the wider world has been matched with an increase in the concern for patient welfare within the healthcare world, especially as regards pain.