-
Period: 3000 BCE to 300 BCE
Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians were the first to keep heath records. They were very religious in their medical practices, praying over the sick and performing surgeries in the temple. They used leeches and bloodletting to heal clogged channels of the body. These discoveries are important because they set predecessors for development of modern medical concepts, like surgeries and medical schools and books. -
Period: 1700 BCE to 220
Ancient China
The ancient Chinese utilized the tracking of the pulse to determine the state of someone's health. The Chinese were the first to practice holistic healthcare, meaning that they believed in the healing of the soul and whole body as well as the injury or illness. Though the Egyptians were the first to make medical records, the Chinese were the first to make a pharmacopoeia, or a medicine/drug directory. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 200 BCE
Ancient Greece
The Greeks observed the effects and symptoms of disease on the body. Doctors used therapies involving massage, art, and herbs. They also believed in cleanliness to prevent disease.
Hippocrates: Father of Medicine
1. Developed ways to observe the body
2. Recorded the symptoms of his patients
3. Created a code of medical ethics, called the Oath of Hippocrates. It is still used by doctors today! -
Period: 753 BCE to 410
Ancient Rome
The Romans were the first to have a healthcare system. They established this system for wounded soldiers. They also started the first hospitals! These hospitals later became religious when Catholicism became more popular. Romans also installed aqueducts to bring clean water to citizens, as well as sewers to drain sewage.
Claudius Galen
1. Created idea of the four humors that regulate the body
2. Studied infectious diseases
3. Dissected animals/studied anatomy/ muscles, kidneys, and bladder. -
Period: 400 to 800
Europe (Dark Ages)
Medicine was not studied, since all emphasis was placed on saving ones soul, not body. Prayer was used to treat disease. Monks and priests cared for the sick, and gave them herbal remedies. -
Period: 800 to 1400
World (Middle Ages)
Europeans began studying medicine again, under the influence of the Greeks and Romans. Physicians began to study at medical schools once again. The bubonic plague killed 75% of the European and Asian populations. Other common diseases included smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, malaria, and typhoid. The Arabs advanced pharmacology using chemistry. Arab physicians now had to pass tests and exams. These discoveries are important because they paved the way for disease and modern medicine study. -
Period: 1350 to
Renaissance
Renaissance means "rebirth", and it was considered the rebirth of medicine. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo made more accurate human anatomical drawings, which helped doctors understand the human body better. Printing presses helped spread medical documents to many more people, such as the first anatomical book, written by Andreas Vesalius. Meanwhile Michael Servetus researched the circulatory and digestive system. Roger Bacon studied optics and chemical remedies. -
Period: to
World (16-17th Century)
Germ theory had not yet been invented, so many were still dying from diseases like childbed fever and infections.
Ambroise Pare (France):
1.First to do sutures
2. Improved treatment of fractures
3. Artificial limbs
Gabriel Fallopius
1. Fallopian tubes
2. Tympanic membrane
Also, the first microscope was built and put into use. The first blood transfusion was completed as well. -
Period: to
World (18th Century)
Gabriel Fahrenheit designed the first mercury thermometer. Oxygen was also discovered by Joseph Preistley. During this time, glasses were also invented by Benjamin Franklin. The first Cesarean section delivery was performed, and a smallpox vaccine was developed.
John Hunter (England)
1. Scientific surgical procedures
2. Tube feeding -
Period: to
World (19th Century- Pt. 1)
The Royal College of Surgeons was founded in 1800 (London). The first vaccine mandate was issued in 1813, and three years later, Rene Laennec invented the first stethoscope. Dr. Philippe Pinel was the first doctor to treat the mentally ill humanely. In the 1840s, Ignaz Semmelweis stated that washing hands between procedures prevented disease, but his idea was rejected. The American Medical Assosiation was also founded later, as well as the American Red Cross (by Clara Barton). -
Period: to
World (19th Century- Pt. 2)
Florence Nightingale:
1. Established better nursing units for the Crimean War
2. Opened Nightingale School and Home for Nurses
3. Began pro. education of nurses
Louis Pasteur:
1. Proved that microorganisms caused disease
2. Pasteurizing milk to kill pathogens
3. Created rabies vaccine
Dimitri Ivanofski discovered viruses, and Almroth Wright discovered teh diptheria vaccine in 1894. These contributions are important because they made major strides in preventing and treating diseases. -
Period: to
World (20th Century, Pt. 1)
There were many advancements in discovery and treatment/prevention of disease, such as Walter Reed's discovery that mosquitoes carry Yellow Fever, typhoid vaccines, Dr. Elie Metchnikoff's studies of white blood cells. Marie Curie was the first scientist to isolate radium, instilling her as one of the greatest scientists of her time. Despite all of these important advancements, Spanish Flu (Influenza) still leveled 40 million people in 1918. -
Period: to
World (20th Cent.- Pt. 2)
There were also many surgical advancements in this time, like the first separation of conjoined twins, the first kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplants, a full-arm reattatchment. Many biomedical engineering discoveries were made as well, such as "test tube babies", cloning of a sheep, and artificial hearts. These are all very important and revoultionary marks of modern medicine. -
Period: to
World (20th Cent.- Pt. 3)
Many diagnostic advancements were made as well, such as the invention of the CAT scan, identification of genetic diseases, amniocentesis, genetic synthesization, and chromosome sequencing were all trailblazing discoveries made in the 20th century. Each of these contributed to advancement of diagnostic medicine greatly. -
Period: to
World (20th Cent.- Pt. 5)
Many legal advancements were made in the medical field, which was necessary, due to the new innovations that came with new regulations. For example, The Medicare and Medicaid 1965 Act Amendment to the Social Security Act, which was the entrance of the federal gov't into healthcare. Also, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act was instated, allowing people to donate organs posthumously. Separate individuals were first allowed to make life/death decisions for a patient. These are just a few examples! -
Period: to
World (21st Cent.- Pt. 3)
There have also been a great number of legal and federal law advancements in medicine in the 21st century so far. An example would be the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, that protects a patient's information. The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvment and Modernization Act was also passed to improve medicines and prescriptions distributed to patients. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was also signed. These acts all help protect patients. -
Period: to
World (21st Cent.- Pt. 1)
Many robotic and prosthetic discoveries were made in the 21st century, such as the first robotic surgical system, Da Vinci. Also, a human embryo was cloned, and an artifical heart was implanted, as well as a face transplant. Artifical ovaries were created and implanted as well. These discoveries may save so many more lives than practicioners were able to in the past. -
Period: to
World (21st Cent.- Pt. 2)
Many medicines were improved or approved in the past 20 years, such as the abortion pill, Gardasil (cervial cancer/HPV vaccine), Zostavax (herpes zoster vacciene), and Alli, a weight loss pill, was approved by the FDA. All of these are very important preventative/treatment medications that save milllions of lives, and will save millions more. -
Period: to
World (21st Cent.- Pt. 4)
A shocking number of stem-cell therapies and technologies were developed in the past 20 years. Stem cells are highly valuable cells that can adapt to be used in any organ of the body, making them very important. It was discovered by the NIH that primary teeth can be sources of stem cells, and an embryo's stem cells can be adapted to kill cancer. Stem cells from human skin were also used to create stem cell mice. These advancements are revolutionary, and may be the answer to certain illnesses. -
Period: to
World (21st Cent.- Pt. 4)
Many threats to general health exist, despite all the progress we have made. Examples of this could be bioterrorism, biochemical warfare, and a number of outbreaks. Examples of these outbreaks are H1N1 (swine flu), COVID-19, and a number of other threats. Listing these are important because they remind us that we still have lots of work to do to save even more patients!