EVOLUTION OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FROM PAST TO PRESENT

PREHISTORIC TIMES (8000 BC – 3000 BC) Main focus: predators Disease did not spread quickly Medicine rooted in religious or spiritual beliefs Herbs and plants used as medicines Digitalis, Quinine, Belladonna, Atropine, Morphine

ANCIENT TIMES (3000 BC – 500 AD) Belief that disease and illness caused by demons and evil spirits Treatment was directed toward eliminating the evil spirit As civilization developed, changes occurred; people began studying the body and how it functioned Religion played an important role; illness was a punishment from the gods, and ceremonies were performed to eliminate evil spirits and restore health

ANCIENT EGYPT Egyptian medicine considered highly advanced First people to keep written health records Documented ideas such a washing and shaving a body before surgery Used medicines to heal disease and learned the art of splinting fractures

ANCIENT CHINESE Had a strong belief in the need to cure the spirit and nourish the entire body Holistic medicine- stress treating the entire patient, mind, body, soul

ANCIENT GREEKS Hippocrates- The Father of Medicine Developed standard of ethics still used today— Hippocratic Oath Records created by him and other physicians helped to establish that disease is caused by natural causes, not supernatural spirits and demons First to stress a good diet and cleanliness to prevent disease

ANCIENT ROMANS Realized that some disease was connected to filth, contaminated water, and poor sanitation Began the development of sanitary systems Built sewers to carry away waste and aqueducts to deliver clean water Drained swamps and marshes to reduce malaria Established the first hospital for injured soldiers

DARK AGES (MEDIEVAL TIMES 500 AD – 800 AD) After the fall of the Roman Empire the study of medicine stopped Individuals lived with little or no personal hygiene Epidemics of smallpox, typhus, plague were rampant Monks and priests stressed prayer to treat illness and disease

MIDDLE AGES (MEDIEVAL TIMES 800 AD – 1300 AD) Brought a renewed interest in medical practices of the Romans and Greeks Monks obtained and translated the writings of the Greek and Roman physicians Outbreaks of smallpox, diphtheria, syphilis, tuberculosis Average life span of 20-35 years Many of these diseases are nonexistent today due to vaccines and medications

RENAISSANCE ( 1300 AD – 1600 AD) Medical universities were created Often called the Rebirth of the Science of Medicine Major source of new information about the human body was a result of accepting and allowing human dissections Artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were able to draw the body accurately Doctors could now view the body organs and see the connections between different systems in the body In the 1300’s(14th century) a major epidemic of bubonic plague killed almost 75% of Europe and Asia Life span increased to 30-40 years

16TH, 17TH 18TH CENTURIES (Modern Times ) Physicians gained an increased knowledge of human body Improvements in surgical procedures Discovery of blood circulation Microscope, mercury thermometer, stethoscope, bifocals were invented Drugstores started Vaccine to prevent smallpox Average life span increased to 40-50 years

19TH CENTURY Period known as the Industrial Revolution Major progress in medical science due to the development of machines and access to books Discovery of microorganisms that caused disease and development of a process to kill bacteria found in milk Formal training for nurses began by Florence Nightingale (founder of modern nursing) Development of American and International Red Cross antiseptics and asepsis to prevent infection during surgery Discovery of x-rays Use of anesthesia Rabies vaccine-1885 Average life span increased to 40-65years

20TH CENTURY Showed the most rapid growth in health care New machines such as Xrays to view the body Medicines and antibiotics Watson and Crick described the structure of DNA and how it carried genetic information Health care plans were created to help pay the cost of care Standards were created so all had equal access to quality health care Average life span increased to 60-80 years

20TH CENTURY Discovery of penicillin and benefits Discovery of psychology More vaccines Possibility of eliminating disabling disease through genetic research Ability to transplant organs Ability to reattach severed body parts Use of computers to aid in diagnosis, accurate record keeping and research Use of noninvasive techniques for diagnosis Advancement in caring for unborn fetus

21ST CENTURY Potential for major advances is unlimited Completion of Human Genome Project Embryonic stem cell research Cloning Bioterrorism Pandemics