The Evolution of Medicine

The Evolution of MedicineBy Tejdeep Singh RandhawaStudent Id: 2015HHSM010Subject Id: HHSM ZG631

Long Before There Were HumansThere Was Disease

Bony lipping at interphalangeal joints indicates arthritis in a prehistoric animalHealth Issues Of PREHISTORIC MENArcheological evidence reveals prehistoric man suffered from: Tuberculosis.Parasite infestations.Osteoporosis.Decayed teeth. eroded teeth from pyorrhea (discharge of pus from inflamed gums).Skeletal fractures.

Health Issues For PREHISTORIC WOMANArcheological evidence reveals prehistoric women had much shorter lifespan than men. Most common reason for early death was difficult childbirth.Also had weakened immune systems due to;birthing & nursing childrenbest food was for men & boys as they would be leaders, hunters, & warriors.

PrIMITIVE MEdicine13,000 B.C. Primitive MedicineBelieved that illness and disease were a punishment from GodsFirst physicians were witch doctors who treated illness with ceremonies.Plants and herbs were used as medicine. E..g Foxglove for the strengthening of Heart.The fine art of trepanning was 1st practiced by ancient mankindA hole was cut into the skull to release demons.

Indian Medicine3300 B.C.Indian MedicineThe people of Indus Valley Civilization from early Harappa periods (3300 BC) had knowledge of medicine and dentistry.The Atharvaveda, a text of Hinduism dating from 1000-1200 BC is the first Indic text of medicine. Ayurveda & Siddha system of medicine originated over 2000 years ago in India. Its two famous texts belong to; Charka (300 BC) Sushruta (600 BC). Theoretical conceptualizations, new nosologies (science of classification of diseases) and therapies.

Indian Medicine ContdDetected diabetes by smelling & tasting urine (for sweetness)Practiced surgical procedures such as:hernia repairsamputationsC-sectionscosmetic surgery to nose, earlobes, & harelips

Egyptian Medicine3000 B.C. Egyptian MedicineFirst to keep accurate health records. Wrote prescriptions on papyrus and Physicians were priests who used temples as a place for worship, medical school, and hospital.Super-specialization of diseases.The earliest known surgery was performed in Egypt around 2750 BC.Embalming using strong antiseptics & bandages for preserving bodies, led to increased understanding of anatomy and diseases.Leeches would be used for bloodletting and vasodilatation.Development of prosthetic devices using wood and leather.

Chinese medicine1700 B.C.Chinese MedicineTraditional Chinese medicine is derived from the empirical observations of disease and illness by Taoist physicians.The foundational text of Chinese medicine is the Huangdi neijing, which is composed of two books: Suwen (Basic Questions)Lingshu (Divine Pivot).In 56 B.C., Zhang Liang invented an instrument Meng which is considered to be a form of modern stethoscope.

Chinese Medicine ContdMale doctors didnt directly examine women but used ivory dolls, and affected women would use doll and point to the problem area.Used acupuncture to treat ailments.Recorded a pharmacopoeia of medications based on herbs. E.g. Ginseng for balancing the chi.

Mesopotamian Medicine1600 B.C.Mesopotamian MedicineDiseases were often blamed on pre-existing spirits: gods, ghosts, sins, etc.Developed the concept of diviner (Baru), physician-surgeon (Ashipu) and pharmacist (Asu), who noted medical treatise on tablets.Baru, developed the concept of modern day diagnosis & prognosis.Discovered the concepts of wound washing with hot water & beer and treatment of various infections.Also, were the first ones to come up with mud plasters.The Hammurabi code of law is the first historical system to lay down medico-legal liability of a surgeon.

Fun Fact!The staff with intertwining serpents, the symbol of the medical profession in the modern day, is associated with Hippocrates and the Greeks when, in actuality, like medical practice itself, it originated in Mesopotamia.

MesopotamianGreekModernGreek Medicine1200 B.C.Greek MedicineFirst to study the cause of disease and look for natural explanations and not just divine ones.Discovered that diet and cleanliness could prevent diseaseHippocrates, most famous of all ancient Greek physicians, who based knowledge of anatomy on observation of external body, and also wrote the Hippocratic Oath.became known as the Father of Modern Medicine Emphasized the idea of balance in all things through four humors of human body, namely;yellow bile - black bile - blood phlegmUsed therapies such as massage, art therapy and herbal treatments.

Roman Medicine1200 B.C.Roman MedicineThey established the first public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts.Built public baths with filtering systems. Rooms in doctors houses where they cared for soldiers became the first hospitals.Galen (130 205 B.C.) influenced the development of various scientific disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, neurology, as well as philosophy and logic.

The DARK AGES (A.D. 400 800)Between Medicines Glorious Past and Revolutionary Future were

Scientific AwakeningFrom Sanitary Awakening to Germ TheoryA.D. 1500 - 190023Scientific AwakeningDissection of corpses by Leonardo da Vinci led to an increased understanding of human anatomy and physiology.First anatomy book by Andreas Vesalius, was published.Invention of the microscope by Anton van Leeuwenhoek allowed doctors to see disease-causing organisms.Development of first vaccine by Edward Jenner to prevent spread of smallpox in 1796.

Scientific AwakeningThe Great Sanitary Awakening took place during the Cholera Pandemic which commenced in Bengal (1819) and reached New York City (1832) .Hence, Cholera is also known as Father of Public Health.Edwin Chadwick submits a report which leads to the formulation of the first Public Health Act 1848 in England.Through Scientific epidemiological study John Snow discovered contaminated water as the transmission source of Cholera.Subsequent Public Health Acts and the Medical Fraternity are focused onto the Disease Control aspect of public health.

Scientific AwakeningMost of the diseases were thought to spread on the basis of two widely accepted Theories of;Miasma Theory.Spontaneous Generation TheoryIt was Louis Pasteur in 1877 who proved by growing the anthrax bacillus derived from infected sheep blood onto a culture plate, and injecting a healthy sheep with the same culture, about the relationship between germs and diseases, which led to the acceptance of Germ TheoryIn 1870s Joseph Lister developed practical applications of the germ theory of disease by ushering aseptic surgical techniques in medicine.

Modern MedicineA.D. 1900 - PresentTo Summarize