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4000 BCE
Primitive Times
During the Primitive times between 4000 BC- 3000 BC, any sicknesses were thought to be caused by evil spirits/demons or they were thought to be a punishment from the gods. These illnesses were treated with ceremonies from tribal witch doctors or they were treated with herbs, plants, and
trepanation or trephining (removing a piece of bone from the skull via surgery). The average lifespan was 20 years. -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
Ancient Egyptians are well known for being some of the first people to use health records. The Egyptians' physicians were priests, and one new medical treatment they used was called bloodletting which was thought to remove any toxins from your blood. The average lifespan was 20-30 years. -
1700 BCE
Ancient Chinese
Ancient Chinese believed in cleansing the spirit and body to cure any issues within the body, the Chinese also used acupuncture and herbs to heal people. The Chinese began research to see what causes illnesses, the average lifespan was 20-30 years. -
1200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
The Ancient Greeks believed that illness was due to natural causes, they also named Hippocrates the "Father of Medicine". The Greeks used therapies such as massage, art therapy, and herbal treatment and they also found out that diet, hygiene, and exercise were ways to prevent diseases. The average lifespan was 25-35 years. -
753 BCE
Ancient Romans
Ancient Romans got their first sense of medical care by providing care for their injured soldiers which ended up leading to the creation of hospitals. Galen believed that the body was regulated by four humors, blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The Greeks also built sewers and aqueducts which helped improve their lifespan to 25-35 years. -
400
Dark Ages
In the Dark Ages disease was believed to be caused by circumstance and disease was treated by prayer, divine intervention, and herbal mixtures. The average lifespan was 20-30 years. -
800
Middle Ages
Many new diseases were discovered during this time, the most impactful being the Bubonic Plague that killed 75% of Europe and Asia's population. Some other new diseases during this time period include smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, and malaria. In the early to middle 1200s medical universities were established. The average lifespan was 20-35 years. -
1350
Renaissance
Disease cause was still a mystery but more inventions such as the printing press and the first anatomy book published by Andreas Vesalius helped advance medicine further. Body dissections also began to become popular during this time period allowing an increased understanding of anatomy and physiology. The average lifespan was 30-40 years. -
1500
1500s
In the 1500s medical knowledge increased greatly. Ambroise Pare, who was known as the Father of Modern Surgery, imposed the idea of ligatures to stop bleeding. -
1600s
In the 1600s early pharmacists began making, prescribing, and selling medications. In 1670 the microscope was invented which allowed physicians to see disease-causing organisms. -
1700s
Gabriel Fahrenheit created the first-ever mercury thermometer. -
1700s
John Hunter introduced tube feeding and established other scientific surgical procedures. -
1700s
The smallpox vaccine was discovered -
1800s
The Stethoscope was invented -
1800s
Formal training for nurses began, women were the main active participants. -
1800s
The first-ever open heart surgery was attempted. -
1800s
The X-Ray machine was developed. -
1900s
ABO blood groups were discovered and people discovered how white blood cells protect against diseases. -
1900s
Laparoscopic surgery which is a minimally invasive surgery gained popularity. -
1921-1998 Vaccines
The vaccines discovered from the time period 1921-1998 were Diptheria, Tuberculosis, Pertussis, Typhus, Influenza, Oral Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chicken Pox, Streptococcus Pneumonia, Meningitis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Lyme Disease, and Rotavirus. -
1900s
Insulin was discovered and used to treat diabetes. -
1900s
Antibiotics such as Penicillin were developed to fight infections. -
1900s
The Kidney Dialysis machine was developed. -
1900s
The structure of DNA was discovered and research in gene therapy began. -
1900s
The Heart and Lung machine was developed. -
1900s
The first bone marrow transplant took place which led to Embryonic Stem Cell research. -
Organ Transplants
Organ Transplants began, 1960 was the first Kidney transplant, 1963 was the first liver transplant, 1967 was the first heart transplant, and 1982 was the first artificial heart. -
1900s
Targeted cancer therapies began, they would block cells involved with tumor growth and kill the cancer cells. -
1900s
Test-tube babies became a thing, a test-tube baby is a baby who is conceived by IVF. -
1900s
Smoke free laws were established which helped prevent 2nd hand smoking. -
1990s
Advances in HIV medicine turned HIV into a manageable chronic disease with a normal lifespan. -
1990s
People could re-create lost or damaged tissue due to an advance in Stem Cell research. -
2000s
In Louisville, Kentucky the first implantable artificial heart was put into a patient. -
2000s
The Human Genome project was completed which mapped out human diseases to help control genetic and autoimmune diseases. -
2000s
Face transplants were developed. -
2000s Vaccines
2006- HPV, 2015-Malaria, and in 2015-Ebola vaccine was created.