1. Ancient History Through Medieval Times (Part 1)
Medical History
Ancient History
Through
Medieval Times
(Part 1)

2. 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

3. 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, Insanity
Treatment for Head injuries too.

4. 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)

5. 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.

6. Ancient History (Review)
80% of people died by the age of 30
Why?
Hunting accidents
Violence

7. 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

8. Ancient History (Review)
Medical treatments began around 3000 B.C. (Egyptian tombs show evidence)
Sometimes rituals
Then repellents to fight demons
“Black Magic” excretions, insects
Medicinal plants (1/3 of what is used today)

9. Ancient History (Review)
Blood flowed through canals
Clear the canals with leaches (still used today as therapy)
HIRUDIN (substance excreted by leech that prevents coagulation)

10. Ancient History (Review)
Egyptian God of Medicine
Imhotep, Egyptian physican for the royal family
Adhere to the rules of the Sacred Books
If patient dies, no blame on the physician
No adherence and patient dies, physician is executed

11. Ancient History (review)
Father of Chinese Medicine
Great Herbal (document containing thousands of drugs)
Originally used to drive out demons
Acupuncture (365 spots on body)

12. 2000 BC Babylon Established a legal code Set fees for services
Rules of conduct
Loss of life or eyesight, physician lost his hands
Only applied to Nobility
Slaves just replaced

13. 2000 BC
Greeks
Apollo (The Sun God) taught medicine to a centaur who taught others like Asklepios (Greek God of Healing)
Massage, bathing and exercise
Drug induced sleep
Cleaning of wounds with large, nonpoisonous snakes
God Asklepios would apply salves
Caduceus (medical symbol) derived from this God holding a staff with a serpent coiled around it

14. 1500 B.C. Hindu priest-doctors contributed surgery Anesthesia
Cataract and plastic surgery

15. 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)

16. 500 B.C. Egypt Human dissection was legal
70,000 books, home of a famous medical school
With rise of the Roman Empire, this declined and back to supernatural/spiritual medicine went.

17. 500 B.C. Romans distrusted and despised the wandering Greek physicians
Greek Physicians were slaves
(till 200 BC)

18. 46 B.C. Julius Caesar (Roman) gave physicians citizenship rights
Physicians began to achieve status

19. 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 drugs
Was 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

20. 150 A.D. Romans made little contribution to medicine
Realized disease was connected to filth and overcrowding
Drained marshes
Laws 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

21. Medieval History Anglo-Saxon settlers
Illness caused by “nine venoms, the nine diseases, or nine worms, or nine elves and witches”

22. Medieval History 5th – 16th centuries
No progress in medical knowledge or practice
Pagan magic, superstition and herbalism

23. Medieval History 6th – 10th centuries Epidemics
Smallpox, dysentery, typhus, plague, widespread famine.

24. Medieval History Christian Church and Arab scholars
Illness was a punishment
Priests again healers
Exorcism and holy relics

25. Medieval History Arab physicians in 1000 AD
Contributed to pharmacology because of knowledge of chemistry

26. Medieval History Rhazes the Arab Hippocrates
150 books (one weighing 22 pounds)
observation of disease
distinguished between smallpox and measles
cautery (hot iron)

27. Medieval History Medical 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)

28. Medieval History Medieval 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)

29. Medieval History
Lots of disease from famine, population movement and uncleanliness
Most famous diseases:

30. Medieval History Leprosy Contagious
Thought to be a result of the sins against God
Forbid to marry
Wear a black cloak with white patches

31. 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