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4000 BCE
Primitive Times
- people believed illness was caused by supernatural spirits and demons
- tribal witch doctors treated illness with ceremonies to drive out evil spirits
- herbs/plants = medicine (some still used today) I think this is important because they thought spirits made people sick.
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3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
- earliest known people to maintain accurate health records
- called on gods to heal them when disease occurred
- average life span: 20-30 years I think this period is important because they were the first people to have health records.
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1700 BCE
Ancient Chinese
- religious prohibitions against dissection resulted in inadequate knowledge of body structure
- believed you needed to treat the WHOLE body (nourishing)
- Acupuncture I think this time was important because they invented acupuncture which is used today to nourish the body.
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1200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
- began modern medical science by observing the human body and the effects of disease
- they identified the brain as the physiological site of the senses
- believed illness was caused by natural causes I think this time was important because they figured out that illness was not caused by evil spirits.
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753 BCE
Ancient Romans
- first to organize medical care by providing care for injured soldiers
- created aqueducts, built sewers, used filtering systems and drained marshes I think this time was important because they were the first people to care about hygiene.
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460 BCE
Hippocrates
- "Father of Medicine"
- Hippocratic Oath
- stressed observation, diagnosis, and treatment
- first to accurately describe symptoms of pneumonia and epilepsy I think he is important because some parts of the Hippocratic Oath is still used in healthcare today.
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400
Dark Ages
- the emphasis was placed on saving the soul and the study of medicine was prohibited
- prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness and disease I think this time was important because they stopped believing in medicine.
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800
Middle Ages
- renewed interest in the medical practice of Greeks and Romans
- Physicians went to medical universities
- Bubonic Plague, smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, and malaria were major problems This time period was important because they created the plague doctors who helped save the people from the Bubonic Plague
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1350
Renaissance
- rebirth of the science of medicine
- first to dissect the body to learn more about the human body I think this time period was important because Michelangelo and Da Vinci drew the human body more realistically than ever before
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1510
Ambroise Pare
- "Father of Modern Surgery"
- improved treatment of fractures
- promoted the use of artificial limbs I think he was important because he did a lot for modern surgery and he lived 80 years in a time period where the average life span was 35-45 years.
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17th Century
- first successful blood transfusion: 1666
- Royal Society of London was established
- apothecaries made, prescribed, and sold medicine I think this time period was important because they had a lot of big things that helped the modern medicine world.
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Anton van Leeuwenhoek
- "Father of Microbiology"
- Robert Hooks Micrographia book inspired him
- first person to record microscopic observations on muscle fibers, blood vessels, and spermatozoa I think he is important because he discovered bacteria and other microscopic organisms.
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John Hunter
- established scientific surgical procedures
- introduced feeding tube: 1778 He is important because he invented the feeding tube to help people eat.
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Rene Laennec
- "Father of Pulmonary Diseases"
- diagnosed many diseases like bronchiectasis, melanoma, cirrhosis, and tuberculosis
- I think he is important because he invented the microscope
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19th Century
- Royal College of Surgeons: 1800
- First federal vaccination legislation: 1813 This time period was important because A LOT of vaccines were invented during this time
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Florence Nightingale
- founder of modern nursing
- established efficient and sanitary nursing units during Crimean War
- Opened Nightingale School
- Opened Home for Nurses at St. Thomas' Hospital She was important because she began the professional education of nurses.
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Clara Barton
- Founder of American Red Cross
- volunteered to provide aid to wounded soldiers She is important because without her, Red Cross would not exist
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Louis Pasteur
- contributed many discoveries to the practice of medicine
- proved that microorganisms cause disease
- pasteurized milk to kill bacteria
- created a vaccine for rabies He was important because he proved disease wasn't caused by evil spirits.
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Francis Crick and James Watson
- Nobel prize in 1962 for discovering the structure of DNA
- Crick: biophysicist, Watson: zoology
- built a 3D model of DNA They are important because they found out what DNA really looks like
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Benjamin Carson
- successfully separated conjoined twins
- has three best-selling books, and a biography movie He is important because he is one of the most skilled and accomplished neurosurgeons today,