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Period: 3000 BCE to 300 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians kept the earliest known health records and believed the body was a system of channels for air, tears, blood, urine, sperm, and feces. They used leeches for bloodletting to expel disease along with medicinal plants. The Egyptians would call on the gods to heal them and their physicians were priests trained in temple medical schools. Imhotep was believed to be the first physician. The average lifespan was 20-30 years. -
Period: 1700 BCE to 220
Ancient Chinese
The ancient Chinese believed in treating illness by curing the spirit and nourishing the body however, they were forbidden to dissect the body, so they had inadequate knowledge. They kept a pharmacopoeia and used acupuncture to treat patients. The Chinese also believed in medical reasons for illness instead of it being a punishment from the gods. The average lifespan was 20-30 years. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
The ancient Greeks used an organized method to study the human body and recorded signs and symptoms of diseases.The Greeks believed that illness was a result of natural causes and had a high standard of ethics in the Oath of Hippocrates. Both Hippocrates, the father of medicine and Aristotle, the father of comparative anatomy were from ancient Greece. Their average lifespan was 25-35 years -
Period: 753 BCE to 410
Ancient Romans
The ancient Romans were the first to establish hospitals in homes and eventually in monasteries and convents and believed in diet and exercise. They believed the body had four humors and also provided care to their soldiers and set up health and sanitation systems such as aqueducts, sewers, filters, and drained marshes. The Romans studied inflammations and infectious diseases in addition to dissecting animals to learn the use of muscles, kidney, and bladder. The average lifespan was 25-35 years. -
300 BCE
Hippocrates
Hippocrates is known as the father of medicine and lived in ancient Greece. -
William Harvey
William Harvey described the circulation to and from the heart. -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope. -
Gabriel Fahrenheit
Gabriel Fahrenheit created the first mercury thermometer -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was an american founding father who invented bifocal glasses. -
Edward Jenner
Edward Jenner developed the vaccine for smallpox. -
Rene Laennec
Rene Laennec invented the stethoscope. -
Clara Barton
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross -
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur proved microorganisms cause disease and created a vaccine for rabies -
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale began professional education for nurses. -
William Roentgen
William Roentgen discovered x-rays -
Elizabeth Blackwell
Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female physician. -
Robert Koch
Robert Koch developed the culture plate to identify pathogens. -
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud formed the basis for psychology and psychiatry -
Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister developed disinfectants for medical staff. -
Marie Curie
Marie Curie isolated radium -
Sir Alexander Fleming
Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. -
Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine
