Vibhuva Polisetty/chapter 1.1/Beliefs and traditions

what did prehistoric people believe caused illness?

Spirits or gods

What role did herbs play in early healing?

They were used as medicinal properties

What is the latin root of the word herb, and what does it mean?

herba, meaning plant or grass

what does the term spiritual derive from, and what does it signify?

spiritus, meaning breath or soul

What is a poultice, and how was it used in early medicine?

a plant mixture that was put on the body to heal wounds

What pain-relieving substance is found in willow bark?

salicin, which is also in aspirin

Define trapanation and explain its purpose in ancient culture?

they drilled into skulls to “release evil spirits”

What does greek root trypanon mean?

borer

What does archaeological evidence suggest prehistoric people survived trepanation?

skulls with healed holes shows that people survived

who was otzi the iceman, and what does he reveal about early medicine?

he carried penicillin and had tattoos believed to be linked to acupuncture practices.

What medicinal items did otri carry?

penicillin which was used as a antibiotic for infections.

how did religion influence egyptian views on illness?

it made them think illness was caused by the gods

Who was imhotep, and why is he significant in medical history?

he was known as a god of medicine, hes significant because he suggested focusing on hygiene, diet, and basic surgery.

What does it mean that Imhotep was deified?

He was turned into a god

What two major medical texts came from Egypt?

Ebers papyrus, and the smith papyrus

What type of information was found in the smith papyrus?

practical treatments such as stitching

what did the Ebers papyrus contain?

remedies

What is the origin of the word papyrus?

the greek word for reed plant

Break down the word antiseptic into prefix and root?

anti(against)-septic(infection)

How did mummification contribute to anatomical knowledge?

it allowed egyptians to study anatomy

What are the four humors in greek medicine?

blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile

What did Greek physicians believe caused illness?

an imbalance of the four humors

What does the latin root umor mean?

delay

Who was Hippocrates, and what is his significance?

He’s the “father of western medicine”, and he promoted observation and systematization

What does acute mean, and what is its latin root?

sharp, root is acutus

What does chronic mean, and what is its greek root?

long lasting, root is chronos

What practices did hippocrates advocate for patient care?

he said to observe patients and let nature heal

How did hippocratic medicine differ from religious explanations?

it focused on natural causes

Who was galen and what was his contribution to medicine?

he was a physician who advanced anatomy and physiology

What groups of patients did Galen treat that informed his knowledge?

gladiators

How long did Galen’s ideas dominate medicine?

over 1000 years

What public health innovations did the Romans create?

aqueducts, sewers, and baths

Name two surgical tools used by Roman physicians

scalpels and forceps

How did medical knowledge change during the Dark Ages?

decline in science caused superstition to become the medical knowledge

What role did superstition play in medicine during this period?

people believed god caused illness

What caused medicine to regress after the fall of Rome?

all the knowledge was lost after rome collapsed

When did the Black Death occur, and how many people died?

1347-1351, and it killed around 25 million

What bacteria caused the Black Death?

yersinia pestis

How was the plague spread?

fleas on rats

What were the symptoms of the bubonic plague?

fever, buboes, and black spots

What does the term bubon mean, and where does it come from?

groin swelling

What treatments were used for plague victims in medieval Europe?

bloodletting, prayers, and herbs

Why did many people blame themselves for getting sick?

because they thought god was punishing them for something they have done

What were alchemists attempting to discover?

cures and immortality from the philosophers stone

How did alchemists contribute to the development of pharmacology?

they helped develop early chemistry

In what way were alchemists both mystics and chemists?

they mixed magic with experiments

What is Qi, and how does it relate to Chinese medicine?

its life energy, which is central to chinese medicine

What are the principles of Yin and Yang?

balance of opposite forces

What is the Yellow Emperor’s Classic, and why is it significant?

it is the oldest chinese medical text

Break down the word acupuncture into its parts.

acus(needle) puncture(prick)

What are the three doshas in Indian Ayurvedic medicine?

vata, pitta, kapha

Who was Sushruta, and what was his contribution to medicine?

he wrote a surgical text and described some surgery methods

How did Ayurveda treat illness differently than Western traditions?

it treated body, mind, and spirit togther

What role did nature and spirit play in Latin American healing?

In latin american healing nature and spirits were the key to getting healed

Name three herbal remedies used by Native American healers.

willow bark, tobacco, and sage

How was Native American medicine communal?

it involves the whole tribe

What is a shaman, and what role did they play in healing?

a healer and a spiritual leader

Name some common shamanic healing practices.

drumming, herbal remedies, chanting

What is one reason shamanism developed in so many regions?

humans needed spiritual guidance

What kinds of materials were used in African traditional medicine?

roots, bark , and animal parts

Why is botanical knowledge important for African healers?

because they needed to know which plants would kill you and which would heal you

What are the two types of healers in ancient Mesopotamian medicine?

Ashipus, and asu’s

What were the roles of the ashipu and asu?

ashipus(spells), asus(practical healers)

What was Hammurabi’s Code, and how did it influence medicine?

it set medical laws and punishments

What did Hammurabi’s Code say about surgical errors?

if a doctor caused harm to the patient they would be harmed

Why was legal accountability important in early Mesopotamian medicine?

it ensured that doctors were well knowledged and that they practiced

Who was Al Rhazi and what text did he write?

Kitab Al Hawi

What does Kitab al-Hawi mean in English

Comprehensive book

What did Al Rhazi emphasize in clinical training?

Precision

What principle did Al Rhazi promote long before germ theory?

contagious diseases

Who was Ibn Sina and what was his most famous book?

persian physician who wrote the canon of medicine

what does the word canon mean in the title of the canon of medicine?

Rule

What idea did Ibn Sina introduce about the causes of diseases

proposed how it could be spread from one person to another

What is the root meaning of the word contagion?

con- together, tangere-touch

What idea did Ibn Sina believe about the causes of disease?

he knew it was from natural causes

What role did Greek and Roman texts play in Arab-Islamic medicine?

They started as a base for the arab-islamic medicine development

What are the four humors in ancient Greek medical theory?

Blood, Phlegm, Yellow bile, Black bile

What did physicians believe happened when the humors were imbalanced?

you had an illness

What treatments were used to restore balance to the humors?

bloodletting, purging, or diet changes

What does the term phlegm mean in its Greek root?

inflammation

What is the origin of the term melancholia?

melas-black khole-bile

Who are the two key historical figures associated with humorism?

hippocrates and galen

What elements or emotions were linked with each humor?

blood-optimism, yellow bile-anger, black bile-sadness, phlegm-apathy

What role did bloodletting play in humor-based medicine?

it hurt more than it helped

What belief system justified the use of purging as treatment?

The humor theory

What is the Latin origin of the word humor?

umor-fluid

Where did major medical schools emerge during the Arab revival?

middle east, africa, and spain

What was the significance of the Salerno Medical School?

it was the first one created

What kind of treatments became more common with formal schooling?

surgical

What is the origin of the word hospital?

hospes- guest or host

How does the Greek word chirurgia mean?

surgery

How did formal education shift medicine away from apprenticeships?

they shifted it from hand work to learning from a book

What regions preserved and expanded classical medical texts?

middle east, north africa, and spain

Why was the development of disease-specific wards important?

so that they dont spread to other people in the hospital

Who was Andreas Vesalius and what did he publish?

He was the father of human anatomy and he published the “de humani corporis fabrica”

What is the full title of Vesalius’s anatomical text?

de humani corporis fabrica

What does De Humani Corporis Fabrica translate to?

the human body fabric

What was revolutionary about Vesalius’s use of human dissection?

it allowed us to see the organs of the human body letting us take a step to see how the body works

Whose anatomical mistakes did Vesalius correct?

galens

What is the Latin root of the word corpus?

body