Is Denzell Hunter a good surgeon or a man of his time in Outlander?

We met the Hunters in Outlander Season 7, Episode 4. Denny nearly amputated an arm but stopped. Is he a skilled surgeon, or another man of his time?

Caution: This post contains major spoilers for Outlander Season 7, Episode 4.

We know that medical care was basic in the past. A lot of doctors didn’t understand how infections happened, and some were very quick to amputate because it was the easiest thing to do. It looked like Denny may be one of those doctors at first.

When Ian brought William to the Hunters for medical care, Denny just looked at the arm and decided he needed to amputate. The infection was spreading up his arm, and Denny believed that amputation was the only way to save it. He wasn’t willing to listen to anything else.

Then he stopped. As he placed the saw on the arm, pus came out. Denny stopped in his tracks and realized it was possible to save the arm after all.

Denny is a surgeon to watch out for in Outlander

This is a man who does know his stuff. We’ll get to know where he learned from soon, I’m sure, but the name “Hunter” is something you’ll want to look into. There is a real doctor from the time with the surname Hunter.

Denny’s last resort is amputation. He didn’t want to remove William’s arm, but he felt like he had no choice. He immediately knew what he was looking at when the pus came out. He knew that meant there was hope to save the arm, and that does make him a good doctor. A lot of surgeons of the time would continue on, especially if they were worried about not being paid much for their troubles.

It’s clear he and his sister Rachel have grown up around medicine and surgery. Rachel had no issue in helping her brother deal with patients. I’m excited to see what’s to come for the Hunters this season.

Watch Outlander with a FREE 7-day trial of Amazon Channels!