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4000 BCE
Primitive Times
Illness and diseases were
Caused by evil spirits and demons
a punishment from the Gods
Tribal witch doctors treated illness with ceremonies
Herbs and plants used as medicines (morphine and digitalis)
Trepanation or trephining (surgically removing a piece of bone from the skull)
Average life span was 20 years -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
Physicians were priests
Health Records were first recorded by the ancient Egyptians
Bloodletting or leeches are 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 and nourishing the body
Recorded a pharmacopeia of medications based mainly on the use of herbs
Used therapies such as acupuncture
Began to search for medical reasons for illness
The average life span was 20-30 years -
1200 BCE
Ancient greeks
Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) and other physicians
First to observe the human body and the effects of disease – led to modern medical sciences.
Believed illness is a result of natural causes
Used therapies such as massage, art therapy, and herbal treatment
Stressed diet, hygiene, and exercise 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 institutions in monasteries and convents
First public health and sanitation systems by building sewers and aqueducts
Galen established belief that the body was regulated by four body humors; blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile
Life span was 25-35 years -
400
Dark ages
Emphasis on saving the soul and the study of medicine was prohibited
Prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness & disease
Monks and priests provide custodial care for sick people
Medications were mainly herbal mixtures
The average life span was 20-30 years
Disease causes are still blamed on circumstance, but no understanding -
800
Middle ages
Renewed interest in medical practices of Greek and Romans
1100: Arabs began requiring physicians to pass examinations and obtain licenses
1346-1353: Bubonic Plague 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
The average life span was 20-35 years -
1350
Renaissance
Rebirth of Science of Medicine
Body Dissections led to an increased understanding of anatomy and physiology
1440: The invention of the printing press allowed medical knowledge to be shared
1543: The first anatomy book was published by Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
The average life span was 30-40 years
Disease cause is STILL a mystery -
1500
16th and 17th centuries
Knowledge regarding the human body increased
1500s: Ambroise Pare, a French surgeon, known as the Father of Modern Surgery established the use of ligatures to stop bleeding
1600s: 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
The cause of the disease is still not known – many people died from infections
Some enlightenment though due to the microscope -
18th century
1714: Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) created the first mercury thermometer
1760: Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals
1778: John Hunter established scientific surgical procedures and introduced tube feeding
1798: Smallpox vaccine discovered
Average life span 40-50 years -
19th century
Rapid advancements due to discoveries of microorganisms, anesthesia, and vaccinations
1895: X-Ray Machine Developed
1893: First Open Heart Surgery
Infection control developed once microorganisms were associated with disease
1816: Invention of the stethoscope
1860: Formal training for nurses began
Women became active participants in healthcare
Average life span 40-60 years -
20th century
1901: ABO blood groups discovered
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: The structure of DNA is discovered and research in gene therapy begins -
20th century 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 century extended
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 -
20th-21st century top 10
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 -
21st century top 10
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
2006: HPV (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine)
Prevent Cervical Cancer
2015: Malaria
2015: Ebola