History of Medicine- Sadye

Premitive times

4000 BCE

Herbs and plants were used as medicines.
Illness and diseases were punishment from the gods/ supernatural.
They surgically removed a piece of bone from the skull (Trepanation or Trephining).

Ancient Egyptians

3000 BCE

Physicians were priests. Royal and palace doctors had special hierarchy and titles. They used leeches and bloodletting (withdrawal of blood from a patient to cure illness and disease) as medical treatment.

Ancient Chinese

1700 BCE

Believed in treating the whole body by curing the soul and nourishing the body. They used therapies such as acupuncture. Recorded a pharmacopoeia of medications based mainly on the use of herbs.

Ancient Greeks

1200 BCE

First to observe the human body and the effects of disease. Believed illness is a result of natural causes. Used therapies such as massage, art therapy, and herbal treatment. In Ancient Greece they used sutures, morphine, and even had their own aspirin.

Ancient Romans

753 BCE

First public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts. Established first hospitals. The Ancient Roman doctors carried a tool kit that contained arrow extractors, catheters, scalpels, and forceps.

Dark Ages

400

Prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness and disease. Began after the fall of the Roman Empire. Study of medicine was prohibited.

Middle Ages

800

Renewed interest in medical practices of Greek and Romans. Bubonic plague killed 75% of population in Europe and Asia. The Bubonic plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, it can spread through the contact with infected fleas.

Renaissance

1350

Dissection of the body led to increased understanding of anatomy and physiology. Invention of printing press allowed medical knowledge to be shared.

16th and 17th centuries

1500

Knowledge regarding the human body greatly increased. Cause of disease still unknown, many died from infections. The infection of the microscope allowed physicians to see disease causing organisms, it was a huge advancement. Apothecaries led to development of pharmacies. First vaccination (smallpox).

18th century

1700

Gabriel Fahrenheit created the first mercury thermometer. John hunter established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding. Average lifespan was 40-50 years.

19th century

1800

Rapid advancement due to vaccinations, microorganisms, anesthesia. Formal training for nurses began. Women became active participants in health care. First open heart surgery.

20th century

1900

Rapid growth in health care. Increased knowledge about the role of blood in the body, ABO blood groups discovered. New medications and machines were developed (Insulin, Antibiotics, Vaccines, Kidney Dialysis Machine, Heart Lung Machine, etc.) Organ transplants, first bone marrow transplant, and test tube babies were also organized.

21st century

2000

Made smoke free laws which decreased 2nd hand smoke. Targeted cancer therapies. Made advancements in the HIV disease and turned a "death sentence disease" into a manageable chronic disease. The first face transplant took place in 2005. A ton of vaccines were found and distributed to the public (Chicken Pox, Influenza, Oral Polio, HPV, Ebola, Malaria, etc.).