history of medicine (abby)

primitive times

4000 BCE

illness and disease were caused by evil spirits/ a punishment from gods
tribal doctors treated illness with ceremonies
herbs and plants used as medicine
trepidation or trephining
average life span was 20 years

Ancient Egyptians

3000 BCE

physicians were priests
health records were first recorded buy the Egyptians
bloodletting or leeches were used as a medical treatment
average life span was 20-30 years

Ancient Chinese

1700 BCE

believed in needing to treat the whole body by curing the spirit
recorded medicines based mainly on the use of herbs
used therapy's such as acupuncture
began to search for medical reasons for illness
average life span 20-30 years

ancient Greece

1200 BCE

Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) and other physicians
first to observe the human body and the effects of disease led to modern science
believed illness is a result of natural causes
used therapies such as massage art therapy and herbal therapy
stressed diet and hygiene and exercise were ways to prevent disease
average life span 25-35 years

ancient Romans

753 BCE

first to provide medical care to injured soldiers
hospitals were religious and charitable institutions
first public health and sanitation systems by building sewers
Galen established belief that the body was regulated by four body humors; blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile
Life span was 25-35 years

16th and 17th centuries

16

Knowledge regarding the human body GREATLY increased
1500’s: Ambroise Pare, a French surgeon, known as the Father of Modern Surgery established use of ligatures to stop bleeding
1600’s: Apothecaries (early pharmacists) made, prescribed, and sold medications
1670: Invention of the microscope
Allowed physicians to see disease-causing organisms.
HUGE advancement
Average life span 35-45 years
Cause of disease still not known – many people died from infections

18th century

18

1714: Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) created the first mercury thermometer
1760: Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals
1778: John Hunter established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding
1798: Smallpox vaccine discovered
Average life span 40-50 years

19th century

19

Rapid advancements due to discoveries of microorganisms, anesthesia, and vaccinations
1895: X-Ray Machine Developed
1893: First Open Heart Surgery
Infection control developed once microorganisms were associated with disease
1816: Invention of the stethoscope
1860: Formal training for nurses began
Women became active participants in health care
Average life span 40-60 years

20th century vaccines

20

Diptheria – 1921
Tuberculosis – 1925
Pertussis – 1927
Typhus – 1937
Influenza – 1945
Oral Polio – 1962
Measles – 1963
Mumps – 1967
Rubella – 1970
Chicken Pox – 1974Streptococcus Pneumonia – 1977
Meningitis – 1978
Hepatitis B – 1981
Hepatitis A – 1992
Lyme Disease – 1998
Rotavirus - 1998

20th-21st century top 10

20

2001: The first totally implantable artificial heart was placed in a patient in Louisville, Ky. In
2003: Human Genome Project Completed
Mapped out human diseases in an effort to get an handle on genetic and autoimmune diseases
2005: Face Transplants
Vaccines
2006: HPV (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine)
Prevent Cervical Cancer
2015: Malaria
2015: Ebola

20th century continued

20

1956: First Bone Marrow Transplant
Initiated Embryonic Stem Cell Research
1978: Test tube babies
Organ Transplants
1960: Kidney
1963: Liver
1967: Heart
1982: Artificial Heart

20th century

20

1901: ABO blood groups discovered
Found out how white blood cells protect against disease
New medications were developed
1922: Insulin discovered and used to treat diabetes
1928: Antibiotics developed to fight infections (penicillin)
New machines developed
1943: Kidney Dialysis Machine
1953: Heart Lung Machine
Surgical and diagnostic techniques developed to cure once fatal conditions
1953: Structure of DNA discovered and research in gene therapy begins

20th-21st century top ten

20

1910: Laparoscopic Surgery
Minimal Invasive Surgery
1970’s: Targeted Cancer Therapies
Interfere with the spread of cancer by blocking cells involved in tumor growth
Identify and kill the cancer cells
1990: Smoke Free Laws
Decrease in 2nd Hand Smoke
1996: Advances in HIV Medication
Turned a “death sentence disease” into a manageable chronic disease – Normal Life Span
1999: Rapid advances in Stem Cell Research
Re-Create lost/damaged tissue

dark ages

400

Emphasis on saving the soul and study of medicine was prohibited
Prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness & disease
Monks and priests provide custodial care for sick people
Medications were mainly herbal mixtures
Average life span was 20-30 years
Disease Cause still blamed on circumstance, but no understanding

middle ages

800

Renewed interest in medical practices of Greek and Romans
1100: Arabs began requiring physicians pass examinations and obtain licenses
1346-1353: Bubonic Plague killed 75% of population in Europe and Asia
Major diseases included
smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, the plaque, and malaria
1220-1255: Medical Universities were established
Average life span was 20-35 years

Renaissance

1350

Rebirth of Science of Medicine
Body Dissections led to increased understanding of anatomy and physiology
1440: Invention of printing press allowed medical knowledge to be shared
1543: First anatomy book was published by Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
Average life span was 30-40 years
Disease cause STILL a mystery