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4000 BCE
Primitive Times
Devils and evil spirits caused illness and diseases and were thought to be a punishment from the gods.
Witch doctors treated illness.
Trepanation or trephining was used to surgically remove a piece of bone from the skull.
Herbs and plants were used as medicines.
Average life span was 20 years. -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egytians
Priests were physicians.
Ancient Egyptians recorded the first health records.
Bloodletting or leeches were used as a medical treatment
Average lifespan was 20-30 years -
1700 BCE
Ancient Chinese
Believed in treating the whole body by curing the spirit and nourishing the body
Used therapies such as acupuncture
Began to search for actual medical reasons for illness
The average life span was 20-30 years -
1200 BCE
Ancient Greeks
Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) and other physicians
They were the to observe the human body and the effects of the disease which led to modern medical sciences.
Believed illness is a result of natural causes
Used therapies like massage, art therapy, and herbal treatment
Stressed diet, hygiene, and exercise were ways to prevent disease
The average life span was 25-35 years -
753 BCE
Ancient Romans
First to organize medical care by caring for injured soldiers
Hospitals were religious and charitable institutions in monasteries and convents
First public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts
Established the belief that the body was regulated by four senses of humor; blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile
Life span was 25-35 years -
400
Dark Ages
Emphasized saving the soul and the study of medicine was prohibited
Prayer and divine intervention was used to treat illness & disease
Monks and priests provided custodial care for the sick people
Medications were mainly just herbal mixtures
Disease Cause still blamed on circumstances, but no understanding
Average life span was 20-30 years -
800
The Middle Ages
Showed more interest in the medical practices of Greek and Romans
1100: Arabs began requiring physicians to pass examinations and obtain medical licenses
1346-1353: Bubonic Plague killed 75% of the population in Europe and Asia
Major diseases included: smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, plaque, and malaria
1220-1255: Medical schools were established
Average life span was 20-35 years -
1350
Renaissance
Science of medicine was rebirthed
Body Dissections led to understanding of anatomy and physiology
1440: The invention of the printing press allowed medical knowledge to be shared
1543: First anatomy book was published
Disease cause was STILL a mystery
Average life span was 30-40 years -
1500
16th and 17th Centuries
Knowledge regarding the human body increased exponentially
The 1500s: The French surgeon, Ambroise Pare, known as the Father of Modern Surgery established the use of ligatures(stitches) 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.
Average life span 35-45 years -
18th Century
1714: Gabriel Fahrenheit created the first mercury thermometer
1760: Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals
1778: John Hunter established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding
1798: Smallpox vaccine was discovered
Average life span 40-50 years -
19th Century
Rapid advancements because of discoveries of microorganisms, anesthesia, and vaccinations
1895: X-Ray Machine was Developed
First Open Heart Surgery
Infection control developed once microorganisms were associated with disease
1816: Invention of the stethoscope
1860: Formal nurse training started
Women became active participants in healthcare
Average life span 40-60 years -
20th Century Continued
1956: First Bone Marrow Transplant
Embryonic Stem Cell Research
1978: Test tube babies
Organ Transplants
1960: Kidney
1963: Liver
1967: Heart
1982: Artificial Heart -
20th Century
1901: ABO blood groups discovered
Found out how white blood cells protect against disease
New medicines were made
1922: Insulin was discovered 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 and gene therapy begins -
20th-21st Century- Top 10
1910: Laparoscopic Surgery
Minimally 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 -
21st Century
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 a handle on genetic and autoimmune diseases
2005: Face Transplants
Vaccines
2006: HPV (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine) to prevent Cervical Cancer
2015: Malaria
2015: Ebola