Medicine in the Pre-Historic Times
This year in history we are studying Medicine through time. We began
this course with pre - historic Medicine. In my essay I will explain
what pre - history is and the types of treatments and preventions of
diseases.
By pre - history, we mean history before the written word (up to
10,000 BC). Although we have a lot of information on pre - history it
is actually very difficult to find out about life in the pre -
historic times. This is because we do not have much evidence to work
with. Archaeologists have found clues which tell us something about
medicine in prehistoric times, but much of the evidence is missing and
some the evidence is hard to make sense of. There are two main ways of
finding out about pre - history. The first one is through
archaeological evidence such as left over bones, or preserved bones
and cave paintings. The other way of finding information on pre -
history is life style evidence. Life style evidence is things like
Aborigines and African tribes.
A type of archaeological evidence found is a skull with a hole in the
top. This is called Trepanning or trephining.
[IMAGE]
Trepanning: an ancient human skull viewed from above. Note the large
hole!
What is trepanning / trephining? Trepanning is a technique of drilling
a hole through the skull. Trepanning was used as a way to cure head
aches. This was because people believed that if you had a headache you
would have a spirit stuck inside you and believed that if you put a
hole through the skull you would be releasing the spirit. The symptoms
before trepanation would be things like a headache, hallucinations,
visions or hearing voices in their head. These symptoms made people
believe that person with the illness had an evil spirit inside them so
they would drill a hole in the person's skull to "free" the spirit.
Even though people thought that this was a solution to their problems,
Christian Church's Influence on the Medical Progress The Christian Church was very powerful and had influence on many things which you wouldn't imagine they would have, one being medicine. The Church mainly hindered medical progress but we will see how it did and see if it helped medicine in any ways. When it came to developing new medical ideas the Church hindered its progression. An example of this is when Roger Bacon, a 13th century priest, was imprisoned for heresy after he suggested that there should be a new approach to medicine and original research should be thought of instead of using old ideas such as Galen's.
The ideas, decisions and actions we make today shape our tomorrow. The same can be said for our past. Globally, our history has molded the development of the political, economical and philosophical system we have today. One of the biggest influences of history comes from Ancient Greece, and a man by the name of Hippocrates. Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician and philosopher, practiced and taught medicine to his students. His philosophies and practices influenced the development of Western modern medicine.
One measure they had was that of the “red cross”. This is where they would paint a red cross on the doors of people who were diagnosed with the plague. I think this would have worked because it would let people know who had the plague, so that they could avoid falling ill themselves.
The practice of medicine in medieval times played a very important role in society. The communities and civilizations would not have survived without the treatments that were offered. In order to have kept the population going, medicine was required. The population might have been much smaller, or even tanked without the hope of these medicines in certain cases. If the Black Death had not occurred, most of the advancements in medicine would not have taken place. While this was a devastating event in history and a misery for all of the people affected, it led the way to many new improvements in medicine. Medical recipes were developed which used the resources they had available to create relief for some of the illnesses that affected people at that time and which we still have today. The medical issues that could not be cured with the herbs and resources they had available required surgery. Compared to modern surgeries, medieval surgeries were very different. Surgery was only performed if it was the last resort and there was no other option. They had to use poisonous resources, which could be extremely dangerous. Today, we take for granted the opportunities we have with surgery, and if we need it there is sometimes no thinking twice, as in the case of someone who gets plastic surgery to change the appearance of a part of the body. Although these practices may seem like they have no affect on where we have advanced to today, they in fact do. Without the practice of medieval medical recipes and surgical practices, the medical world would not be where it is today.
people there so that over England as a whole a fifth of the men, women
Did you know there was a time where infectious diseases like the common cold could kill you and your family? This was the elizabethan era probably the last time where sickness became the “grimm reaper” before modern medical advancements. With infectious diseases spreading and killing so many people doctors became desperate. Because these doctors knew very little about medicine, they were completely willing to try experimental treatments on their patients (Alchin). Sadly just about anybody with an infectious disease died. All the knowledge these doctors knew were based on: Humours, what brain function each internal organ controls, and how to protect themselves from it.
hat for a belief to be true knowledge, it must be supported by evidence. Evidentialism also claims
The medicinal practices and problems of the Elizabethan Era were very important to the people, although they are very different from those of today. There were many different beliefs and diseases, like the Plague. Medicine was not an exact science and was related to Alchemy (Chemistry). Here, some of the many practices and beliefs of the Elizabethan Era will be discussed.
The Romans used both scientific and mythological methods in their medicine. By adopting the methods of Greek medicine; the Romans obtained a solid foundation. They copied Hippocrates, who separated the study of medicine from philosophy and had an overall approach to the health of humans. Hippocrates also observed the habits and environment of humans to accurately determine illnesses and discover treatments. The Romans adapted the Hippocratic method and combined it with mythical and religious views. The Romans used Greek methods, and also included prayers and offerings to the gods. Although all gods had healing powers, Aesculapius, the god of healing, was the most important.
Penicillin is the reason people lived healthy and long lives. Sick, cold, and sore, are feelings people have when they are sick. If people were to become sick and penicillin was not around they would have those feelings for a longer duration. Penicillin was an idea that belonged to a famous scientist by the name of Sir Alexander Fleming. Penicillin was just the slightest of idea in Fleming’s mind after he married his wife who had the profession of a nurse. Fleming made penicillin after conducting test on accidentally infected fungus inhabited plates. He tried washing the fungus of with disinfectant, then he noticed a yellow-green zone around the fungus. He came up with the conclusion that penicillin’s main goal would be to eliminate the outer weak ring
Medicine in the Middle Ages We are very lucky today! When we are sick, we go and see the doctor, and he or she can usually make us better with the use of medicine. It wasn‘t like this in the medieval era.
Forensic evidence can provide just outcomes in criminal matters. However, it is not yet an exact science as it can be flawed. It can be misrepresented through the reliability of the evidence, through nonstandard guidelines, and through public perception. Forensic science can be dangerously faulty without focus on the ‘science’ aspect. It can at times be just matching patterns based on an individual’s interpretations. This can lead to a miscarriage of justice and forever alter a person’s life due to a perceived “grey area” (Merritt C, 2010) resulting in a loss of confidence in the reliability of forensic evidence.
World War One, in its own time, was the most destructive war Earth itself had ever seen, and this was due to the new technology. “There are two groups of people in warfare – those organized to inflict and those organized to repair wounds – and there is little doubt but that in all wars, and in this one in particular, the former have been better prepared for their jobs.” There were many advancements, disadvantages, and foundations involving medicine in World War I. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 started the war, and things spiraled out of control from there. With there being so many existing alliances with countries all over, almost all of Europe became involved. Eventually two sides emerged which were the Central Powers and the Allies. America had tried to stay out of the war, but when Russia backed out in 1917 America slipped in.
Professor comments: In this paper, the student synthesizes several sources about nineteenth-century medicine and medical education into a focused and coherent essay that provides information about aspects of this topic especially relevant to understanding Lydgate's position in Middlemarch: the differences among physicians, apothecaries, and surgeons, both in terms of training and duties on the one hand, social status on the other; the processes by which someone obtained a medical education and became a licensed practitioner; and the differences in English, Scottish, and French training. In doing so, the student displays an awareness of the importance of the contextual material for more than merely factual purposes, and she employs a principle of selection, concentrating on material that will facilitate her interpretation of Lydgate's role in the novel--especially in the connection between medical and political reform--in a separate essay.
Although it is not apparent whether or not Ancient Egyptian physicians had formal training or not, their methods for diagnosing and handling illnesses were very efficient at times. As a matter of fact, we still use some of their remedies today when we make medicines. Examples of the diagnosis and remedies for diseases in Ancient Egypt can be found in the Ebers Papyrus. This is one of the oldest known documentations of ancient medical practices, dating as far back as fifteen hundred BC. Steven Gilbert, the author of A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals, defines the text as “approximately one hundred and ten pages on anatomy and physiology, toxicology, spells, and treatment recorded on papyrus. The papyrus also has many prescriptions showing the treatment of many disorders by animal, plant, and mineral toxins that still occur today.” Modern-day examples of medical ailments mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus include Asthma, Cancer, and Belly Aches. Oddly enough, the heart, rather than the brain, was regarded as the headquarters of human knowledge in the body because this was where the abundance of emotion was said to be drawn forth from. The heart was also thought to be a means of communication between the people and the gods because people were given insight and instruction pertaining to the gods will through this organ of the body. The Egyptians did not understand how important the heart was in terms of blood circulation, as we understand it today. Their belief was that the heart was connected to all the other parts of the body, via canals, which were used to transport bodily fluids and waste to their appropriate locations. The brain’s only purpose was to transport mucus to the nose, and therefore it wa...