Unit 1: History of Medicine A brief overview of where we’ve been

1000 A.D.—That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer. 2000 B.C.—Here, eat this root. 1000 A.D.—That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer. 1850 A.D.—That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion. 1920 A.D.—That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill. 1945 A.D.—That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin. 1955 A.D.—Oops . . . bugs mutated. Here, take this tetracycline. 1960–1999—39 more “oops.” Here, take this more powerful antibiotic. 2000 A.D.—The bugs have won! Here, eat this root. World Health Organization

Medicine’s Beginnings Started off as prayers and rituals Shaman Rituals used to cure ailments Drumming and chanting Amulets and charms Trepanning…

Medicine’s Beginnings cont’d Man began to use accessible materials Clay Plants/Herbs Mushrooms Ate foods for effect Grind plants for substance

Medicine’s Beginnings cont’d Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) Coca (Erythroxylon coca) Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) English yew (Taxus baccata) Fever tree (Cinchona succiruba) Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) Rubbertree (Hevea brasiliensis) Willow (Salix spp.)

Egyptian Medicine First civilization to keep accurate medical records Described diseases Recorded remedies Contraceptives Headaches Skin/Hair Conditions

Egyptian Medicine Cont’d Numerous Contributions Splinting fractures Recordkeeping Disease diagnosis and remedy ***Recording and sharing information

Greek Medicine Began as Gods healing Hippocrates Asclepius Apollo Hygieia Hippocrates Cause and effect Changes in diet, drugs Keeping in balance

Greek medicine cont’d Four humors of the body Blood Phlegm Yellow Bile Black Bile Restoring balance cures disease Bloodletting Purging

Hippocratic Oath Establishes patient confidentiality No mercy killings Do not perform an abortion No seducing men or women Assign the proper diet Physicians/teachers of medicine are equal to family ***Not presently required by most medical schools

Other Greeks Aristotle Galen Direct observation is more powerful Dissection for comparative anatomy Galen Controlled physiological experiments Experimented on kidneys and spinal cord Larynx (voicebox), circulatory system, respiratory system, brain nerves Cataract surgery

Roman Contributions Aqueducts brought clean water Sanitation Sewer systems to carry off waste Public baths with filtered water

Roman Physicians Battlefield medicine Paid by the government First to send physicians with each legion Used “traveling hospitals” Paid by the government Central buildings of care (first hospitals) Started as rooms in physician’s house Became entire buildings of sick people

Dark Ages Romans conquered Cooperative medicine stops Manuscripts preserved in monasteries Watch and protect rather than cure Epidemics Bubonic Plague (Black Plague) killed millions Smallpox, diphtheria, syphilis, tuberculosis

Renaissance “Revival” of Greek and Roman texts Medical schools More consistent and “modern” scientific method Medical schools Dissection became acceptable Printing press made sharing information easy Widespread knowledge allows for advancement

17th Century Vesalius – Human anatomy Leeuwenhoek – Microorganisms Numerous dissections led to accurate drawings Leeuwenhoek – Microorganisms Showed that organisms are everywhere Da Vinci – Human anatomy Worked extensively on proportions of the body Anatomical drawings (interior and exterior)

18th Century New ways of learning Advances in identifying causes Students attended lectures and met patients bedside Dissections after diseases helped to understand physiology Advances in identifying causes Examine environment Vaccines developed Smallpox

19th Century Hand-washing in hospitals Preventing microorganisms from growing Bacteria come from the environment Can harm humans Cause of many diseases Washing/cleaning wounds during surgery

19th Century cont’d Anesthetics became reliable Rise of the Nurse Previously herbs, alcohol, and drugs Went into shock from pain People often died from overdose Rise of the Nurse Present in battlefield Raised standard of care before/after surgery Immunizations became widespread Were able to use vaccines to control many diseases