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4000 BCE
Primitive Times
Illness and diseases were believed to be caused by evil spirits and demons or a punishment from the Gods
Tribal witch doctors treated illness with ceremonies
Herbs and plants used as medicines
Trepanation or trephining
The average life span was 20 years -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
Physicians were priests
Health Records were first recorded
Bloodletting or leeches used as medical treatment
The average life span was 20-30 years -
1700 BCE
Ancient Chinese
Believed in the need to treat the whole body by curing the spirit
Recorded a pharmacopeia of medications
Used therapies like acupuncture
Began to search for medical reasons for illness
The average life span was 20-30 years -
1200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
Hippocrates, and other physicians
First too observe the human body and the effects of disease – led to modern medical sciences.
Believed illness is a result of natural causes
Used therapies as ways to prevent disease
The average life span was 25-35 years -
753 BCE
Ancient Romans
First to organize medical care by providing care for injured soldiers
Later hospitals were religious and charitable
First public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts
Galen created the belief that the body was sorted by four body humor; blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile
Life span was 25-35 years -
400
Dark Ages
Emphasis on saving the soul and study of medicine wasn't allowed
Prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness & disease
Monks and priests provide helping care for sick people
Medications were mainly herbal mixtures.
Disease Cause is still blamed on the circumstance, but no understanding yet.
The average life span was 20-30 years -
800
Middle Ages
Renewed interest in medical practices of Greek and Romans
Arabs began requiring physicians to pass examinations and obtain licenses
Bubonic Plague killed 75% of the population in Europe and Asia
Major diseases included
smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, Black plague, and malaria
Medical Universities were established
The average life span was 20-35 years -
1350
Renaissance
The rebirth of Modern Medicine
Dissections Helped understand the human anatomy more.
The invention of the printing press helped spread the knowledge of the medical field
First anatomy book was published by Andreas Vesalius in 1543
The disease's cause is still unknown
The average Lifespan was 30-40 years -
1500
16th 17th Centuries
Knowledge regarding the human body greatly increased
Ambroise Pare, a French surgeon, known as the Father of Modern Surgery established the use of ligatures to stop bleeding
Apothecaries made, prescribed, and sold medications
The invention of the microscope allowed physicians to see disease-causing organisms.
The cause of the disease is still not known – many people died from infections
The average life span is 35-45 years -
18th century
Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) created the first mercury thermometer
Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals
John Hunter established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding
Smallpox vaccine discovered
The average life span is 40-50 years -
19th Century
Discoveries of microorganisms, anesthesia, and vaccinations
X-Ray Machine
First, open heart surgery was performed
The stethoscope was invented
nurses needed schooling
The average lifespan is 40-60 years -
20th Century
ABO blood groups discovered
Found out how white blood cells protect against disease
New medications were developed
Insulin was discovered and used to treat diabetes
Antibiotics developed to fight infections (penicillin)
New machines were developed including the Kidney Dialysis Machine and Heart Lung Machine
Surgical and diagnostic techniques developed to cure once fatal conditions
Structure of DNA discovered and research in gene therapy begins -
20th century #2
First Bone Marrow Transplant
Initiated Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Test tube babies
Organ Transplants
1960: Kidney
1963: Liver
1967: Heart
1982: Artificial Heart -
Top 10 20th-21st century
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 -
top 10 20th-21st century #2
The first implantable artificial heart was placed in a patient in Louisville, Ky. In
2003: Human Genome Project Completed
Mapped out human diseases to get a handle on genetic and autoimmune diseases
2005: Face Transplants
Vaccines
2006: HPV (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine)
Prevent Cervical Cancer
2015: Malaria
2015: Ebola