Transcript A Brief History Of Medicine Part 1

A Brief History Of Medicine
Part 1
Ancient Times
Throughout History
People have had illness.
 People have tried to explain the cause of
disease.
 Humans have sought cures for
sicknesses.

Sickness vs. Injury

Humans have long understood the difference
between sickness and injury.
Prehistoric Medicine
Time Period
3000 BC to 20,000 BC
 Includes many Stone Age cultures

Bronze Age
 Iron Age

Life span usually 25 to 40 years
 Very little evidence available

Archaeological evidence
 No written records

Common Diseases
Arthritis
 Infections after injury
 Gum disease
 Infected teeth (abscess)

Causes of Disease

Supernatural Causes:
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Evil spirits
Angry ancestors
Actual Causes:
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Less varied diets
Malnutrition
Cleanliness Issues
Cures & Medicine

Herbs were
commonly used
 Uses discovered by
trial & error
http://www.abpischools.org.uk/res/coResourceImport/resources04/history/index-2.cfm
Items Used

Natural oils
 Used snakeroot to
calm patients.
 Used foxglove to
stimulate the heart.
 Used fungus to stop
bleeding
Cures & Medicine

Medicine Man or
Shaman
 Religious
ceremonies to
counter evil spirits
 Used charms, spells,
and amulets
Major Accomplishments

Use of clay to set
broken bones
Major Accomplishments
Trepanning – primitive brain surgery
 Goal = release evil spirits

Ancient Egypt
Time Period

3000 BC to 300 AD
 Nile River Valley
Common Diseases
Records show knowledge of many
different sicknesses
 Common cold
 Stomach ailments
 Cataracts and eye diseases
 Malaria, plague, perhaps smallpox
 Parasitic diseases (Schistosomiasis)
 Leprosy, polio, tuberculosis

Causes of Disease

Evil gods and
demons were
responsible for
disease
 People wore amulets
to ward off evil
Mummification

Knew location of
major organs in the
body
 Understood function
of most organs
Cures & Medicine

Doctors/Priests
specialized in
medicine
 Earliest recorded
doctor was Hesy-Ra
from 27th dynasty BC
 Had physicians (first
culture to have
doctors)
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Herbs were used

Pharmacists were
skilled at preparing
herbs
 Garlic & onion
 Cumin & coriander
 Over 700
“medicines” on
record
Some Herbal Remedies
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Honey and milk were used for the respiratory system as well as
throat irritation.
Honey was wisely used to disinfect wounds.
Aloe Vera was used to treat worms, relieve headaches, and
soothe burns.
Frankincense was used to treat throat and larynx infections.
Dill was used to reduce flatulence and as a laxative
Caraway was used to treat flatulence and as a breath freshener
Balsam Apple or Apple of Jerusalem was used as a laxative
Thyme was used as a pain reliever
Poppy seeds were used to relieve insomnia, head aches, and as
an anesthetic
Cures & Medicine

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Simple surgery
Even amputations
Setting broken
bones
Carving shows
medical instruments
Used ointments as
anesthesia in
surgery
A Few Cures

Cure for Indigestion
 Crush a hog's tooth
and put it inside of
four sugar cakes,
and eat for four
days.

Cure for Lesions of the
Skin
 After the scab has
fallen off, mix it with
fresh milk and apply it
as a poultice to the
wound
For baldness: fat of lion, fat of hippo, fat of cat,
fat of crocodile, fat of ibex, and fat of serpent,
are mixed together and applied to the head.
Spiritual “Cures”
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The Egyptians sometimes used spells to cure
illnesses.
These would be said over a sick person: “O Spirit,
male of female, who lurks hidden in my flesh and in
my limbs, get out of my flesh. Get out of my limbs!"
Remedy for a mother and child: “Come! You who
drives out evil things from my stomach and my limbs.
He who drinks this shall be cured just as the gods
above were cured."
Belief in Good Health Habits

Bathing
 Shaving
 Special diets to
purify the body
 Don’t eat raw fish or
unclean animals
Who Were Imhotep, Hesy Re, and Peshet?
Imhotep was the founder of Egyptian
medicine. We do not know if he was the first
physician, but he was definitely a candidate for it.
Imhotep was born in 2560 B.C. in Memphis.
Imhotep was best known for his engineering and
architecture, not as a doctor.
Hesy Re is another candidate for the first
physician. He lived in Egypt around 2600 B.C.
He was also one of the first people to perform
oral surgery.
Peshet was the first female physician. She
lived in Egypt around 2500 B.C.
Major Accomplishments


Written records of
diseases &
treatments
Made connection
between pulse & the
heart
 Used compression to
stop bleeding
Ancient Middle East
Time Period

Ancient Babylon
(modern-day Iraq)
 3000 BC to 1500 BC
Causes of Disease

Often blamed on
spirits, ghosts, etc.
 Each spirit was
responsible for a
specific body part
Major Accomplishments

Babylonians
introduced the
concepts of
diagnosis, prognosis,
physical
examination, and
medical prescriptions
Medical Men called “Ashipu”
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Means "sorcerer."
Most important task was to
diagnose the ailment
Determined which god or
demon was causing the illness.
Attempted to determine if the
disease was the result of some
error or sin on the part of the
patient
The phrase, "the Hand of..." was
used to indicate the god or
spirit responsible for the
sickness
Charms and spells were used to
entice away or drive out the
spirit causing the disease
Next, the Asu
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Specialist in herbal
remedies
Called "physician" because
he dealt in what were often
classifiable as empirical
applications of medication.
For example, when treating
wounds the asu generally
relied on three fundamental
techniques: washing,
bandaging, and making
plasters. All three of these
techniques of the asu
appear in the world's oldest
known medical document
(c. 2100 BCE).
Ancient India
Time Period

Around 800 BC, first
book on medicine
and surgery was
complied in ancient
India
Causes of Disease

Ayurveda was a
science of medicine
begun in about 1000
BC
 1st scientific study of
medicine
 Uses medicinal
herbs
 No beliefs in
supernatural causes
Major Accomplishments

Shushruta- Samhita is the
oldest treatise dealing with
surgery.
 The main medical
practitioners were Atraya,
Charaka and Shusruta.
 Shushruta studied human
anatomy with an aid of a
dead body.
 He had described in great
detail 8 branches of
surgery
Major Accomplishments
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Plastic surgery and
ophthalmology (removing
cataracts)
The restoration of mutilated
nose or rhinoplasty was one
of the greatest contributions
of Shushruta.
The success rate was very
high attracting people from all
the country and outside. He
meticulously carried out the
operation almost similar to
the steps followed by modern
day plastic surgeons.
What people knew
People knew flies could cause
illnesses like stomach ache and
diarrhea.
They knew that other raw food could
also cause diseases.
During smallpox outbreaks doctors
told people to stay inside or away from
somebody who had it.