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Period: 4000 BCE to 3000 BCE
Primitive times
- belief that illness and disease was caused by spirits and demons
- witch doctors cured disseise with ceremonies -average life span was 20 years
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Period: 3000 BCE to 300 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
- earliest accurate health records
- called on the gods to heal them
- life span was 20 - 30 years
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Period: 1700 BCE to 220
Ancient Chinese
- Religious prohibitions against dissection
- carefully monitored the pulse
- began the search for medical explanations for illness
- average life span 20 - 30 years
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Period: 1200 BCE to 200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
- observed the effects of disease
- animal dissections
- believed illness was a result of natural causes
- average lifespan was 25 - 35 years
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800 BCE
Invention of acupuncture
Acupuncture was used as a method of pain relif. -
Period: 753 BCE to 410
Ancient Romans
- began public health and sanitation systems
- diet, exercise, and medications were used as a treatment
- early hospitals
- average lifespan was 25 - 35 years
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Period: 460 BCE to 377 BCE
Hippocrates lifetime
Hippocrates was known as the father of medicine. He created the Hippocratic oath. He also stressed the importance of observation, diagnosis, and treatment. -
Period: 400 to 800
Dark ages
- prohibited the study of medicine
- medications were mainly herbal mixtures
- average lifespan was 20 - 30 years
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Period: 800 to 1400
Middle ages
- a pandemic of the bubonic plague killed 3/4ths of the population
- renewed interest in medical practice
- average life span was 20 - 35 years
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910
developed criteria for distinguishing between small pox and measles
This would allow for better treatment because the doctors knew what to treat. -
Period: 1350 to
Renaissance
- rebirth of science and medicine
- dissection of the body allowing for better medical understanding
- average life span 20 - 30 years
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Proving that micro-organisms cause disease
This was very important because it was a big step toward breaking the chain of infection. -
Use of disinfectants and antiseptics
This saved many lives because people would not get infections during surgery -
Development of a typhoid vaccine
Saved many lives because most people would be immune to typhoid. -
Insulin was used to treat diabetes
Saved the lives of most diabetics. -
A gene screen for cancer was developed.
This allowed doctors to see who would respond best to the treatment.