Pierre Franco was a surgeon in Europe in the sixteenth century who developed a variety of surgical procedures, including some to repair hernias, cleft lips, and bladder stones. A hernia occurs when an internal organ protrudes through a weak spot in a muscle or tissue, typically in the abdomen, which can cause severe pain, nausea, and vomiting. A cleft lip is a congenital abnormality where the tissues of the upper lip and roof of the mouth do not form properly as the fetus develops during pregnancy, causing problems with eating and speaking. Bladder stones are hard masses of minerals that build up from a person’s urine and form in their bladder, often causing pain or bleeding during urination. Franco described the congenital origin of the cleft lip and was one of the first to develop a repairing procedure for hernias without the removal of genitals. As of 2024, surgeons have continued to innovate upon many of Franco’s surgical procedures, including those to repair hernias and cleft lips, to help children born with congenital defects and other patients in need of surgery.