-
4000 BCE
Primitive Times
Illness and diseases were Caused by evil spirits and demons or were punishments from the Gods
Tribal witch doctors treated illness with ceremonies using Herbs and plants used as medicines (morphine)
Used Trepidation or trephining (surgically removing a piece of bone from the skull) to remove the spirits
The average life span was 20 years -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
All physicians were priests
The first health records were first recorded by the ancient Egyptians
Leeches were used for bloodletting as a form of treetment
Average life span increased to 20-30 years -
1700 BCE
Ancient Chinese
Believed in the need to treat the whole body by curing the spirit and nourishing chi
Recorded an encyclopedia of medications based mainly on the use of herbs
Used therapies such as acupuncture to realign the chakras in the body
Began to search for medical reasons for illness
Average life span was still 20-30 years -
1200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
Hippocrates and other physicians were the first to observe the human body and the effects of disease (which led to modern medical sciences), Believed illness is a result of natural causes, and used therapies such as massage, art therapy, and herbal treatment
Average life span was 25-35 years -
753 BCE
Ancient Romans
Romans were the first to organize medical care by providing care for injured soldiers
Later hospitals were religious and charitable institutions in monasteries and convents
built public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts
Galen of Pergamon established the belief that the body was regulated by four body humors; blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile -
400
Dark Ages
Study of medicine was prohibited and returned to believing it was ghosts
Prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness & disease
Monks and priests provide custodial care for sick people
Medications were mainly herbal mixtures
Causes of disease were still blamed on circumstance, but no understanding for why
Average life span decreased back to 20-30 years -
800
Middle Ages
1100: Arabs began requiring physicians pass examinations and obtain licenses
1346-1353: Bubonic Plague (Rat disease) killed 75% of the population in Europe and Asia
Major diseases included smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, the plaque, and malaria
1220-1255: Medical Universities were established
Renewed interest in medical practices of Greek and Romans
Average life span was back to 20-35 years -
1350
Renaissance
1440: Invention of printing press allowed medical knowledge to be shared
1543: First anatomy book was published by Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
Rebirth of Science of Medicine
Body Dissections led to increased understanding of anatomy and physiology
Disease cause was still a mystery
Average life span increased 30-40 years -
Period: to
16th and 17th centuries
1500’s: French surgeon Ambroise Pare is known as the Father of Modern Surgery who 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 which was a HUGE advancement
Cause of disease still not known – many people died from infections
Average life span 35-45 years -
18th century
Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) created the first mercury thermometer (killed a lot of people by putting mercury in their mouths)
Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals
John Hunter established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding
Smallpox vaccine discovered
Average life span 40-50 years -
19th century
Rapid advancements due to discoveries of microorganisms, anesthesia, and vaccinations
X-Ray Machine Developed
First Open Heart Surgery
Infection control developed once microorganisms were associated with disease
Invention of the stethoscope
Formal training for nurses began (women became active participants in health care)
Average life span 40-60 years -
20th Century
Massive medical growth speedrun -
Period: to
20th century medical science speedrun
1901: blood groups were discovered (ABO)
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 century medical science speedrun Pt.2
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 -
Vaccines
Diptheria – 1921
Tuberculosis – 1925
Pertussis – 1927
Typhus – 1937
Influenza – 1945
Oral Polio – 1962
Measles – 1963
Mumps – 1967
Rubella – 1970
Chicken Pox – 1974
Streptococcus Pneumonia – 1977
Meningitis – 1978
Hepatitis B – 1981
Hepatitis A – 1992
Lyme Disease – 1998
Rotavirus - 1998 -
20th and 21st centuries best achievements
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 -
20th and 21st centuries best achievements pt.2
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 -
20th and 21st centuries best achievements pt.3
2006: HPV (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine)
Prevent Cervical Cancer
2015: Malaria
2015: Ebola