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Period: 4000 BCE to 3000 BCE
Primitive Times
People from this time believed that disease was caused by spirits and demons. Trepanation was a common method that involved boring a hull in the skull to treat insanity. Religion was used as a method to cure a patient. -
Period: 3000 BCE to 300 BCE
Ancient Egyptians Records
The Ancient Egyptians were the first people to keep health records. The records were inscribed in stone by priests who also acted as physicians in their society. -
Period: 1700 BCE to 220
Ancient Chinese Practices
The Ancient Chinese began to use holistic health methods to treat the whole patient, including their mind, body, and soul. Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, and massage are still used today. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 200 BCE
Ancient Greek Medicine
They began modern medical science. The Greeks developed an organized way to observe the body, recorded the signs and symptoms of diseases, and created a standard of ethics. -
Period: 460 BCE to 377 BCE
Hippocrates
Also known as the "Father of Medicine", Hippocrates was one of the most influential physicians in Ancient Greece. -
Period: 797 to 1400
The Middle Ages
Interest in Roman and Greek medical practices increased during this time. The bubonic plague killed a majority of European population along with other dieseas. -
Period: 1350 to
The Renaissance
Rebirth of the science of medicine. Scientists and physicians began to dissect the human body which increased the knowledge of the body. Artists, such as da Vinci, used to art to portray the human body. -
Period: 1500 to
16th and 17th Centuries
The cause of disease was still unknown. Ambroise Pare was a French surgeon who was known as the Father of Modern Surgery.
Apothecaries made, prescribed, and sold medications. -
Microscope
Zacharias Janssen invented the microscope in 1590 which allowed scientists and physicians to see a new world full of tiny life that no one knew had existed. -
Period: to
18th Century
The knowledge of the human body increased drastically. Germ Theory was thought of during this time. Many important inventions were invented in the 1800s also. -
Mercury Thermometer
Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer which helped people see changes in temperature and prove that the body's temperatures fluctuate when diseased. -
Cesarean Section Performed
Also known as a C Section, Dr. Jesse Bennett performed the first C Section to help deliver a baby. This surgery is commonly used today and has saved many lives. -
Smallpox Vaccine
Edward Jenner developed a vaccine for smallpox. Along with saving lives, this showed how vaccinations can be used to prevent diseases and helped further the development of other vaccines. -
Anesthesia First Used
Anesthesia was first used in 1846 by a dentist named William Morton. Modern medicine would not be possible without anesthesia. -
Modern Nursing
Florence Nightingale was the founder of modern nursing and she established the first nursing school in the world. -
American Red Cross
Clara Barton, a nurse during the Civil War, founded the American Red Cross which aims to help people around the country. -
Insulin Discovered
Insulin was discovered by Sir Frederick G Banting which is a life-saving hormone that can be given to people with diabetes. -
Antibiotics
Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin in 1928 which was the world's first antibiotic that helped save many people from infection. -
Stem Cells
Stem cell therapy was first used in 1958 by Georges Mathe to save 6 nuclear researchers who were accidentally exposed to high radiation. Stem cell therapy is still being researched and the possibilities of it can change health care majorly. -
Human Genome Project
The completion of the Human Genome Project has had a major effect on improvements and possible improvements in health care.