History of Healthcare

Ancient Times why Health?

Prevention of injury from predators

Ancient times 2.0 why health

illness/disease caused by SUPERNATURAL spirits (did not know scientifically what causes illness yet)

ancient times medicine herb/plants

digitalis from foxglove plants, leaves chewed to strength and slow heart

Now?

administered by pills, IV, or injections

Ancient time herb/plant

quinine from bark of cinchona tree to control fever/muscle spasm and treat malaria (mosquito)

Ancient time herb/plant

BELLADONNA & atropine from poisonous nightshade plant to relieve spasms (GI) and morphine from opium poppy to relieve SEVERE pain

Egyptians

EARLIEST to keep accurate health records, superstitious, called upon gods, identified certain diseases, pharaohs kept many specialists

Egyptians

priests were doctors, temples r palces of worship, med schools, and hospitals; only priests could read the med knowledge from the god Thoth

Egyptians

magicians were also healers; believed demon caused disease; prescriptions written on papyrus

Egyptian embalming

done by special priests (NOT DOCTOR priests); advanced anatomy knowledge; strong antiseptics used to prevent decay; gauze similar to today’s surgical gauze

egyptians research on mummies has revealed existence of diseases

arthritis, kidney stones, arteriosclerosis

egyptian medical practices STILL USED today

enemas, circumcision (4000 BC) preceded marriage, closing wounds, setting factures

egyptian eye of horus

5000 years ago, magic eye, amulet to guard against disease, suffering, evil; history: horus lost vision in attack by seth and mother (Isis) called Thoth fro help and eye restored; evolved into modern day Rx sign

Jewish medicine

avoided medical practice; concentrated on health rules concerning food, sanitation, and quarantine; moses: pre-hippocratic medical practice banned quaker (god was onlt physician); enforced day of rest

Greek medicine

first to study cause of disease; research helped eliminate superstitions; sanitary practices associated w the spread of disease

greek medicine: hippocrates

hippocrates was no dissection, only observations, took careful nots of signs/symptoms of disease, disease not caused by supernatural forces; father of medicine who wrote standards of ETHICS which is basis for today’s med ethics

greed med: Aesculapius

staff and serpent symbol of med; temples built in his honor bc the first true clinics and hospitals

Roman med

learned from greeks and devved a sanitation systems; aqueducts and sewers; public baths; beginning of public health

roman med

first to organize medical care; army med; room in doctors’ house became first hospital; public hygiene: flood control and solid construction of homes

Dark ages (400-800 AD) and mid ages (800-1400 AD)

med practiced only in convents and monasteries; custodial care; life and death in god’s hands

dark ages terrible epidemics such as

bubonic plague, smallpox, diphtheria, syphilis, measles, typhoid fever, tuberculosis

dark ages and mid ages

crusaders spread siease, cities became common; special officers deal w sanitary probs, reaization that diseases are contagious; quarantine laws passed

renaissance med (1350-1650 AD)

universities and med shcools for research, dissection, book publishing

16th and 17th century (1500s and 1600s)

leonardo da vinci drew anatomy of body; anton van leeuwenhoek (1676) invented microscope and observe microorganisms

16th & 17th century

william harvey circulation of blood