Unlocking The History of Medicine

Primitive Times Believed that illness and diseases were a punishment from the Gods First physicians were witch doctors who treated illness with ceremonies

Primitive Times Herbs and plants were used as medicine examples: Foxglove plants leaves were chewed to strengthen & slow heart – Now given by pills, IV, or injections (aka Digitalis)

Trepanation One of the first surgeries A hole was cut into the skull to release demons What are some of the possible complications of this treatment? Average life span = 20 years

Egyptians First to keep accurate health records Wrote prescriptions on papyrus Physicians were priests Average life span 20-30 years Temples were used as places of worship, medical schools, & hospitals

Egyptians (3000 BC- 300 BC) Embalming led to increased understanding of anatomy and diseases Was done by special priests, not doctor priests Gauze used to wrap bodies is much like the surgical gauze used today Strong antiseptics kept bodies from decaying

Egyptians (3000 BC- 300 BC) Leeches would be used for bloodletting (draining human blood) Does not hurt because their saliva contains a natural anesthetic Their saliva also contains a blood thinner, a vasodilator, and an agent that prevents bacteria from infecting the wound FDA has recently approved use of leeches as a medical treatment.

Ancient Chinese (1700 BC–AD 220) Religion prohibited dissection Believed you had to treat both the body and spirit Recorded a pharmacopoeia of medications based on herbs Therapies included acupuncture

Ancient Chinese (1700 BC–AD 220) Used therapies such as acupuncture Began to search for medical reasons for illness Average life span was 20-30 years

Greeks (1200 BC –200 BC) Made observations about the human body and the effects of disease that led to modern medical sciences Believed illness is a result of natural causes

Greeks (1200 BC –200 BC) Used therapies such as massage, art therapy and herbal treatments Discovered that diet and cleanliness could prevent disease Average life span was 25- 35 years

Romans (753 BC – AD 410) They established the first public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts Life pan 25-35 years Treated disease with diet, exercise, and medication

Romans (753 BC – AD 410) Rooms in doctors houses where they cared for soldiers became the first hospitals Believed body was regulated by 4 humors (body fluids) that had to stay balanced to prevent illness (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile)

Dark Ages (AD 400 – AD 800) Study of medicine was prohibited Emphasis was on saving the soul Monks and priests treated patients with prayer

Dark Ages (AD 400 – AD 800) Medications were mostly herbal mixtures Life Span was 20- 30 years

Middle Ages (AD 800 –AD 1400) Major diseases included smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, the plague, and malaria Arab physicians used chemistry to advance pharmacology Arabs begin requiring physicians to pass examinations and obtain licenses

Middle Ages(AD 800 –AD 1400) Bubonic Plague killed 75% of the population in Europe and Asia Life Span was 20-35 years Medical Universities were created There was renewed interest in medical practices of the Greek and Romans

Renaissance (AD 1350–AD 1650) Dissection of the body led to an increased understanding of anatomy and physiology First anatomy book by Andreas Vesalius was published Invention of the printing press allowed medical knowledge to be shared. Life Span was 30-40 years.

16th and 17th Centuries Invention of the microscope in 1666 allowed doctors to see disease-causing organisms Cause of disease still not known - many people died from infections Apothecaries led to development of pharmacies

16th and 17th Centuries Ambroise Pare (1510-1590), a French surgeon, known as the Father of Modern Surgery established use of ligatures to stop bleeding. Edward Jenner developed the first vaccination to prevent the spread of smallpox in 1796

18th Century Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) created the first mercury thermometer John Hunter (1728-1793) established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding. Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals Average life span 40-50 years.

19th Century Formal training for nurses led by Florence Nightingale began Infection control methods were developed, once microorganisms were associated with disease.

20th Century Gained an increased knowledge about the role of blood in the body: ABO blood groups discovered Determined how white blood cells protect against disease

20th Century New medicines were developed: Insulin to treat diabetes Antibiotics to fight infections caused by bacteria Vaccines to prevent people from getting diseases caused by viruses

20th Century New machines were developed: Kidney dialysis machine Heart lung machine Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan

20th Century Surgical and diagnostic techniques were developed to cure once fatal conditions: Organ transplants Limbs reattached Test tube babies Amniocentesis Implanted first artificial heart

20th Century Health care plans developed to help pay the cost of health care Medicare and Medicaid marked the entry of the federal government into the health care arena HMO’s provided an alternative to private insurance Hospice was organized

21st Century The threat of bioterrorism lead to smallpox vaccination of the military and first responders in 2002 The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia in 2002 The Human Genome Project to identify all of the approximately 20,000 to 25,000 genes in the human Health care plans developed to help pay the cost of health care Medicare and Medicaid marked the entry of the federal government into the health care arena HMO’s provided an alternative to private insurance Hospice was organized

21st Century of health care Stem cells were used in the treatments of disease early in the 2000’s and lead to increased research in the treatment of cancer and other diseases President George W. Bush approved federal funding for research using only existing lines of embryonic stem cells in 2001 Advanced Cell Technology announced it cloned a human embryo in 2001 but the embryo did not survive The U.S. FDA approved the use of the abortion pill RU-486 IN 200 of health care Medicare and Medicaid marked the entry of the federal government into the health care arena HMO’s provided an alternative to private insurance Hospice was organized

21st Century The standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) of 1996, went into effect in 2003 The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act was passed in 2003 Vaccinations for cervical cancer and herpes zoster (shingles) in 2006 Medicare and Medicaid marked the entry of the federal government into the health care arena HMO’s provided an alternative to private insurance Hospice was organized

Potential for 21st Century Cures for AIDS, cancer, & heart disease Genetic manipulation to prevent inherited disease Nerves in the brain and spinal cord are regenerated to prevent paralysis Antibiotics are developed that do not allow pathogens to develop resistance Average life span 90-100 years

The End