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4000 BCE
Primitive Times 4000 BC - 3000 BC
Believed illness was caused by supernatural spirits
Tribal witch doctors treat illness with ceremonies to drive out spirits
Herbs and plants used as medicine, some used today
Putting a hole in a skull was used to treat insanity and epilepsy
life span was 20 years -
300 BCE
Ancient Egypt 3000 BC - 300 BC
Earliest people known to maintain health records
Used magic and medicinal plants to treat disease
Leeches and bloodletting were used to unclog "channels"
Called upon the gods for healing when sick
Life span was 20-30 years -
200 BCE
Ancient Greece 1200 BC - 200 BC
Began modern medical science by observing the human body and effects of disease
Hippocrates developed an organized way to look at the human body
Believed Illness is a result of natural causes
Stressed diet and hygiene to prevent disease
Lifespan was 25-35 -
220
Ancient China 1700 BC - 220 AD
Monitored the pulse to determine condition of the body
Religious prohibitions against dissection made people not know about the inside of body
Used acupuncture to relieve pain and congestion
Began the search for medical reasons for illness
Average life span was 20-30 years -
410
Ancient Rome 753 BC - 410 AD
Created aqueducts to carry clean water to cities
Diet, exercise, and medications were used to treat disease
Early hospitals developed when physicians cared for ill people in rooms in their homes
First to organize health care by providing care for injured soldiers
Life span was 25-35 years -
800
Dark Ages 400-800
Emphasis was placed on saving the soul and the study of medicine was prohibited
Prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness
Monks and priests provided custodial care for sick people
Medications were mainly herbal mixtures
Average life span 20-30 -
1400
Middle Ages 800-1400
Renewed interest in the medical practice of Greeks and Romans
Physicians began to obtain knowledge at medical universities in the 9th century
The bubonic plague killed more 3 quarters of the population in europe and asia
Arabs began requiring that physicians pass examinations and obtain licenses
Life span was 20-35 -
Renaissance 1350-1650
Rebirth of science of medicine
Dissection of the body began to allow a better understanding of anatomy and physiology
Development of the printing press allowed knowledge to be spread to others
First book on dietetics written by Isaac Judaeus
Life spane was 30-40 years -
16th and 17th Centuries
First successful blood transfusion on animals performed in England in 1667
Scientific societies, such as the Royal Society of London were established
Causes of the disease were still not known and many people died from infections and puerperal fever.
Bartolomeo Eustahio identified the eustachian tube from the ear to the throat
Life span was 35-45 years -
18th, 19th, 20th, 21st Centuries
Louis Pasteur proved microorganisms cause disease
Rene Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816
Joseph Lister started using disinfectants and antiseptics during surgery to prevent infection
Wilhelm Roentgen discovered xrays in 1895
Life span was 40-60 years
