History of Medicine - Damaris Bellacio

  • 4000 BCE

    Primitive times

    In these times it was believed that illnesses and diseases were caused by evil spirits/demons and that it was a punishment from god. In order to release these spirits they used a method called trepanation where you would get a piece of your skull surgically removed in order to release the spirits. Also during these times tribal witch doctors would perform ceremonies to treat illnesses, they used plants and herbs as medicines like morphine and digitalis. The Average life span was only 20 years.
  • 3000 BCE

    Ancient Egyptians

    Ancient Egyptians were the first to keep any kind of medical record when all physicians were priests. At this time it was believed that having too much blood caused diseases so they would perform bloodletting, when they withdrew blood from a patient, and used leeches to remove blood. The average life span was only 20 - 30 years.
  • 1700 BCE

    Ancient Chinese

    It was believed curing the spirit and nourishing the body was important, They still used herbs as medicine and they started using therapies like acupuncture. They began to search for medical reasons for illnesses and the average life span was 20 - 30 years.
  • 1200 BCE

    Ancient Greeks

    Hippocrates and some other physicians were the first people to observe the human body and how diseases affect it, at this time it was believed that natural causes caused illnesses. Massages, art therapy and herbal treatment were commonly used and a way to prevent disease was to go on a stressed diet, have good hygiene and exercise frequently. The Average life span was 25-35 years.
  • 735 BCE

    Ancient Romans

    The Ancient Romans were the first to provide medical care for injured soldiers, they were also the first to have public health and sanitation systems by building aqueducts and sewers. This was the time when the four body humors(Blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile) were established, The life span was 25 - 35 years
  • 400 BCE

    Dark Ages

    Monks and Priests cared for the sick, Prayer and Divine intervention was used to treat any and all diseases or illnesses. Saving the soul and practicing medicine was prohibited and most of the medicine was just a mixture of herbs. The life span was 20 - 30 years and the cause of diseases was simply blames on the circumstance
  • 1100

    Medical license

    Arabs required that all physicians pass an examination and obtain a license in order to practice medicine.
  • 1220

    Medical universities

    Medical Universities were finally official
  • 1346

    Disease

    The bubonic plague and other diseases like smallpox and typhoid claimed the lives of over 75% of Europe and Asia's population, the average life span was only 20 - 35 years
  • 1440

    Printing press

    Medical knowledge was shared to everyone thanks to the invention of the printing press.
  • 1500

    Ligatures

    A French surgeon named Ambroise Pare established ligatures in order to stop bleeding.
  • 1543

    Anatomy

    Better understanding of anatomy and physiology due to body dissections, which later led to the first book about anatomy that was published by Andres Vesalius. The average life span was now 30 - 40 years but the cause of disease was still a huge mystery.
  • Prescriptions

    A man named Apothecaries started prescribing and selling medicine to people who need it
  • Microscope

    A big medical advancement came when the microscope was invented but even with the microscope people still didn't understand how diseases were caused. Average life span was now 35 - 45 years.
  • First Thermometer

    The first ever mercury thermometer was invented by Gabrial Fahrenheit, now people will be able to measure their temperature
  • Bifocals

    Bifocals were invented at this time, now people who are short sighted can see thanks to Benjamin Franklin.
  • Tube feeding

    Tube feeding was introduced and scientific surgical procedures were established by John Hunter
  • Smallpox vaccine

    The smallpox vaccine was discoverd and the average life span was now 40 - 50 years
  • Stethascope

    The stethascope was invented, now doctors are able to listen to peoples hearts and lungs
  • Nurses

    Nurse training began (women included)
  • Heart surgery

    The first ever open heart surgery was preformed
  • X-ray

    The x-ray machine developed and the average life span was now 40 - 60 years
  • Blood groups

    The ABO blood groups were formed and we finally found out how white blood cells protected us against disease
  • Laparoscopic surgery

    Laparoscopic (Minimally invassive) Surgery was developed
  • Diptheria Vaccine developed

  • Insulin

    A way to treat diabetes was discovered, insulin.
  • Tuberculosis Vaccine developed

  • Pertussis Vaccine Developed

  • Penicillin

    Penicillin was developed to fight against infections
  • Typhus vaccine developed

  • Kidney Machine

    A Machine for kidney dialysis was developed
  • Influenza vaccine developed

  • Heart/lung Machine

    Heart and lung machine was developed
  • DNA

    Gene therapy begines with the discovery of DNA structure
  • Bone Marrow

    The first ever bone marrow transplant was what started off the Embryonic Sten Cell research
  • Kidney Transplant

    Kidney transplant became available
  • Oral Polio vaccine developed

  • Liver transplant

  • Measels Vaccine developed

  • Heart Transplant

  • Mumps vaccined developed

  • Rubella Vaccine developed

  • Cancer therapies

    Can stop the spread of cancer by blocking the cancer cells that are involved with tumor growth, it identifies and kills cancer cells
  • Chicken pox vaccine developed

  • Streptococcus Pneumonia vaccine developed

  • Test tubes

    First test tube babies
  • Meningitis vaccine developed

  • Hepatitis B Vaccine developed

  • Artificial heart transplant

  • Smoke free

    Smoke free law was passed and there was a decrease in second hand smoking
  • Hepatitis A Vaccine developed

  • HIV medication

    Went from a fatal disease to something you can live with if you take care of yourself properly
  • Lyme Disease vaccine developed

  • Rotavirus vaccine developed

  • Stem cell research

    Stem cell research made rapid advances, now it's possible to
    re-create damaged or lost tissue
  • Artifical heart

    The first ever Artifical heart was placed in a patient, in louisville Kentucky
  • Human genome

    Mapping out diseases using genetics and autoimmune diseases was developed
  • Face transplants

    Face Transplants became a thing
  • HPV Vaccine developed

    HPV short for Human papillomavirus vaccine was developed to prevent cervical cancer
  • Vaccine for Malaria was Developed

  • Ebola vaccine was developed