Bariatric surgery remains the most durable weight loss option to address morbid obesity, providing lasting reduction of debilitating chronic comorbidities. This is a review of the historical milestones that led up to the development of this surgical practice. We explore perceptions and interventions for obesity as early as the 10th century, as well as pre-modern surgical perceptions and advancements in foregut and obesity surgery. Additionally, we recount select social and surgical landmarks in the modern bariatric era. The aim of this review is to reflect on and appreciate the centuries of progress that have led to such an instrumental branch of risk reductive surgery.
Keywords: bariatrics; gastrointestinal; general surgery; history; obesity.