MEDICAL HISTORY

Ancient History

Through

Medieval Times

(Part 1)

NOTES FROM PREZI PRESENTATION Medical History- Overview

Health Care Providers were: Priests Medicine Men

Many Ailments came from: Poor Sanitation Unsanitary Water Supply Lack of Knowledge

It was believed that: Evil Spirits and Demons caused disease.

Of Scientific Interest: Microorganisms

NOTES FROM PREZI - CONTINUED Ancient History

80% of People died by the age of 30 Hunting Accidents Violence

Treatments Rituals “Wives Tales” Trephining

Cutting of a hole in the skull with a flint knife.Treatment for Migraines, Epilepsy, Paralysis,

InsanityTreatment for Head injuries too.

NOTES FROM PREZI - CONTINUED

Medical treatments began around 3000 B.C.“Black Magic”Medicinal Plants

1/3 of which we still use today It was believed that our blood flowed

through canals Leaches used to clear the canals. We still used this therapy today. Leaches secrete Hirudin (prevents coagulation)

NOTES FROM PREZI - CONTINUED

Egyptian God of Medicine Imhotep Egyptian physician for the royal family. Wrote the Sacred Books

If the physician followed them but the patient died, it was okay – nothing happened to the physician.

If the physician did not follow them and the patient died, the physician was executed.

Father of Chinese Medicine Wrote the Great Herbal

Document that contained thousands of drugs.Originally used to drive out demons.

Acupuncture – 365 spots on the body.

ANCIENT HISTORY (REVIEW) Ancient History

80% of people died by the age of 30 Why?

Hunting accidentsViolence

ANCIENT HISTORY(REVIEW)

Treatments Rituals “Wives Tales” Trephining

Cutting a hole in the skull with a flint knife Treatment of migraines, epilepsy, paralysis or

insanity Then treatment for head injuries

Sometimes skulls showed healing and many years of survival

ANCIENT HISTORY (REVIEW)

Medical treatments began around 3000 B.C. (Egyptian tombs show evidence) Sometimes rituals Then repellents to fight demons

“Black Magic” excretions, insectsMedicinal plants (1/3 of what is used today)

ANCIENT HISTORY (REVIEW)

Blood flowed through canalsClear the canals with leaches (still used today

as therapy) HIRUDIN (substance excreted by leech that

prevents coagulation)

ANCIENT HISTORY (REVIEW)

Egyptian God of Medicine Imhotep, Egyptian physican for the royal

familyAdhere to the rules of the Sacred Books

If patient dies, no blame on the physician No adherence and patient dies, physician is

executed

ANCIENT HISTORY (REVIEW)

Father of Chinese MedicineGreat Herbal (document containing thousands

of drugs) Originally used to drive out demons

Acupuncture (365 spots on body)

2000 BC Babylon

Established a legal code Set fees for services Rules of conduct Loss of life or eyesight, physician lost his

handsOnly applied to NobilitySlaves just replaced

2000 BC Greeks

Apollo (The Sun God) taught medicine to a centaur who taught others like Asklepios (Greek God of Healing)

Massage, bathing and exerciseDrug induced sleepCleaning of wounds with large, nonpoisonous

snakesGod Asklepios would apply salves

Caduceus (medical symbol) derived from this God holding a staff with a serpent coiled around it

1500 B.C. Hindu priest-doctors contributed surgery

AnesthesiaCataract and plastic surgery

500 B.C. Greeks

Dissected animals (Alcmaeon) Human dissection was illegal

Blood gave life and heart distributed it (Empedocles)

Hippocrates moved medicine from priests to philosophers Organized method of gaining knowledge

(Observation) Hippocratic Oath (To do no harm)

Aristotle (tutor of Alexander the Great) Brought together medicine, biology, botany and

anatomy (based on animal dissection)

500 B.C. Egypt

Human dissection was legal70,000 books, home of a famous medical

schoolWith rise of the Roman Empire, this declined

and back to supernatural/spiritual medicine went.

500 B.C. Romans

distrusted and despised the wandering Greek physicians Greek Physicians were slaves (till 200 BC)

46 B.C. Julius Caesar (Roman) gave physicians

citizenship rights Physicians began to achieve status

150 A.D. Claudius Galen – Physician from Asia Minor

Treated Gladiators (with little medical training)Believed the body was composed of humors

Four fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile)

Used diet, massage, exercise and drugsWas kicked out of Rome then returned and

cured the emperor’s stomachache.Produced 500 books, claimed to have authority

of Hippocrates Accepted for 1300 years (unchallenged till 16th

century) Set back medical progress

150 A.D.Romans made little contribution to medicine

Realized disease was connected to filth and overcrowdingDrained marshesLaws for clean streets Aqueducts for clean drinking water

Private hospital system Diseases (Malaria, small pox)

drainage system no longer used to keep marshes down

Pandemic Bubonic plague

MEDIEVAL HISTORY

Anglo-Saxon settlers Illness caused by “nine venoms, the nine

diseases, or nine worms, or nine elves and witches”

MEDIEVAL HISTORY5th – 16th centuries

No progress in medical knowledge or practice Pagan magic, superstition and herbalism

MEDIEVAL HISTORY6th – 10th centuries

EpidemicsSmallpox, dysentery, typhus, plague,

widespread famine.

MEDIEVAL HISTORYChristian Church and Arab scholars

Illness was a punishment Priests again healers

Exorcism and holy relics

MEDIEVAL HISTORYArab physicians in 1000 AD

Contributed to pharmacology because of knowledge of chemistry

MEDIEVAL HISTORYRhazes the Arab Hippocrates

150 books (one weighing 22 pounds) observation of disease distinguished between smallpox and measles cautery (hot iron)

MEDIEVAL HISTORYMedical school in Salerno, Italy around 850

AD Union of medical knowledge from the East and

the West First school where students took exams Issuance of degrees Anatomy and surgery (based on animal

dissection) Other medical schools followed (Paris, Oxford

and Cambridge)

MEDIEVAL HISTORYMedieval European surgeons (barber-

surgeons) Limited to nobility, wealthy Cut hair, bloodletting, opened abscesses,

amputations (same razor) Trademark

White poles wrapped with blood-stained bandages (Barber pole today)

MEDIEVAL HISTORYLots of disease from famine, population

movement and uncleanliness Most famous diseases:

MEDIEVAL HISTORYLeprosy

Contagious Thought to be a result of the sins against God Forbid to marry Wear a black cloak with white patches

MEDIEVAL HISTORY

Bubonic Plague Thought to be spread by rats, was actually a

bacteria that grew in fleas on the rats Shivering, headache, vomiting, pain Large painful boils Died within five days