1.1 Health Science flashcards

What did prehistoric people believe caused illness?

Evil spirits or Gods

What roles did herbs play in early healing practices?

Herbs were crushed and used in healing and spiritual rituals.

What is the Latin root for the word herb and what does it mean?

The root is herba meaning plant.

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

It derives from the Latin root spiritus meaning breathing or soul.

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

It was made or herbs and used to treat wounds.

What pain-relieving substance is found in willow bark?

Willow bark contains salicin.

Define trepanation and explain its purpose in ancient cultures

Trepanation would happen when people in ancient times had head problems. They would bore a hole in the person's head in order to release evil spirits.

What does the Greek root trypanon mean?

It means “to bore”.

What archeological evidence suggests prehistoric people survived trepanation?

Many patients survived as seen in skull healing

Who was Otzi the Iceman, and what does he reveal about early medicine?

He revealed signs of acupuncture and medicinal fungus.

What medicinal items did Otzi carry?

Otzi carried herbal remedies and medicinal fungus like penicillin

How did religion influence Egyptian views on illness?

Illness was linked to gods and spirits

Who was Imhotep, and why was he significant in medical history?

Imhotep was known as the Egyptian god of medicine and used potions and religious remedies.

What does it mean that Imhotep was deified?

It means that Imhotep was viewed as a god.

What two major major medical texts came from ancient Egypt?

The Ebers Papyrus and the Smith Papyrus.

What type of information was found in the Smith Papyrus

Treatments like stitching, bandages, and antiseptics

What did the Ebers Papyrus contain?

Spells and remedies for various ailments

What is the origin of the word papyrus?

It derives from the Greek word Papyros referring to the writing material made from the papyrus plant.

Break down the word antiseptic into prefix and root

Anti means against and septic means disease

How did mummification contribute to medical knowledge?

Mummification allowed us to extract organs from the body determining their functions

What are the four humors in Greek medicine?

Blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm

What did Greek physicians believed caused illness?

Illness is caused by an imbalance in the four humors

What does the latin root umor mean?

Umor means fluid.

Who was Hippocrates and what was his significance?

He was the “Father of Western Medicine” and a Greek physician.

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

It means sharp, and its root is acutus.

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

Chronic means long time, and its root is chron.

What practices did Hippocrates advocate for patient care?

He advocated diet, rest, hygiene, and treating symptoms.

How did Hippocratic medicine differ from religious explanations?

It focused on diagnosing symptoms and patterns and focused on ethics.

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

He agreed with Hippocrates and dissected animals for anatomical knowledge.

What types of patients did Gelen treat that informed his knowledg?

He treated gladiators for practical surgical experience.

How long did Gelen’s ideas dominate medicine?

He was influential for over 1400 years.

What public health innovations did the Romans create?

They built aqueducts, baths, and sanitation systems

Name three surgical tools used by Roman physicians.

Scalpels, hooks, and saws

How did medical knowledge change during the Dark Ages?

There was a decline in scientific medicine, and people were under the influence of superstition and religion for the cause of disease

What role did superstition play in medicine during this period?

People used it as explanations for illnesses.

What caused medicine to regress after the fall of Rome?

Instability in society and more faith in religion caused a shift away from scientific medicine

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

It occurred from 1347-1351 and killed 1/3 of Europe’s population.

What bacteria caused the “Black Death”?

Verisinia pestis

How was the plague spread?

Through fleas on rats

What were the symptoms of the bubonic plague?

Fever, buboes, and gangrene

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

It comes from the Greek word boubon meaning groin swelling.

What treatments were used for plague victims in medieval Europe?

Bloodletting, charms, and religious penance

Why did many people blame themselves for getting sick?

They believed they had done something to wrong God.

What were alchemists attempting to discover?

The philosopher’s stone

How did alchemists contribute to the development of pharmacology?

They created early chemical remedies like modern day pharmacists.

In what way were alchemists both mystics and chemists?

They mixed science with mysticism to create remedies.

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

Qi is life force, and the Chinese felt illness was caused by imbalances in Qi.

What are the principles of Yin and Yang?

Two opposing forces work together as the base of life.

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

It is a philosophical text establishing the core aspects of yin and yang.

Break down the word acupuncture into its parts.

acu means needle and puncture means to penetrate

What are the three doshas in Indian Ayurvedic medicine?

Vatta (wind), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (Earth)

Who was Sushruta and what was his contribution to medicine?

He was an ayurvedic practitioner who used herbs, surgery, and lifestyle changes

How did Ayurveda treat illness differently than Western medicine?

It used detail surgical practices and focused on lifestyle changes like rituals and diet.

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

Nature and spirit were the main cause and also treatment in illness. Shamans were the intermediary between the two, and a balance between nature and spirit was seen as health

Name three herbal remedies used by Native American healers

Willow bark, tobacco, and sage

How was Native American medicine communal?

Healing involved everybody including patient, family, and community participating in prayer.

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

They were an intermediary between nature and spirit providing health and balance.

List three common shamanic healing practices

Chanting, drumming, and herbal remedies

What is one reason shamanism developed in many different regions?

Many indigenous religions believed in a connection to another world

What kinds of materials were used in African traditional medicine?

Roots, bark, and animal parts

Why is botanical knowledge important for African healers?

It was important to make herbal remedies and to know which herbs are dangerous

What are two types of healers in ancient Mesopotamian medicine?

Ashipus (used or rituals and spells) and Asu (used for practical medicine)

What were the roles of the Ashipu and Asu?

The Ashipu was a spiritual healer while the Asu was used for practical medicine like bandages

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

Physicians were held accountable for treatment outcomes due to the code. Physicians would be punished or treated well based on the fate of their patient.

Break down to the term malpractice into prefix and root.

mal means bad and in practice the Latin root “pract-” means to act or to do

Why was legal accountability important in early Mesopotamian medicine?

Due to Hammurabi’s code, if your patient died, you died. Therefore, you accountable legally for their fate

Who was Al Rhazi and what text did he write?

Al Rhazi was an early Persian physician who wrote the Kitab al-Hawi (comprehensive medical book).

What does Kitab al-Hawi mean in English?

It means comprehensive book, a major medical encyclopedia.

What did Al Rhazi emphasize in clinical training?

Promoted careful observations, clinical experience, and experimentation.

What principle did Al Rhazi promote long before germ theory?

Precision, cleanliness in healing wounds, and treating infections

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

He was a Persian physician who wrote the Canon of Medicine

What does the word Canon mean in the title The Canon of Medicine?

It means Rule

What idea did Ibn Sina introduce about how diseases spread?

He said they spread through water, soil, and air from one person to another.

What is the root meaning of the word contagiion

con- together, tangere- touch

What did Ibn Sina believe about the causes of disease?

they were contagious and spread from person to person.

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

Medical theory came from these texts from Greek and Romans

What are the four humors in ancient Greek medical theory?

blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm

What did physicians believe happened when the humors were imbalanced?

There was illness.

What treatments were used to restore balance in the humors?

Bloodletting, purging, and diet lifestyle or changes

What does the term phlegm mean in its Greek root?

inflammation (swelling)

What is the origin of the term melancholis?

melas (black), khole (bile)

Who are the two key historical figures associated with humorism?

Galen and Hippocrates

What elements or emotions were linked with each humor?

blood - air, yellow bile- fire, black bile- earth, phlegm- water

What role did bloodletting play in humor-based medicine

It let blood out of the body balancing the biles and phlegm with the amount of blood.

What belief system justified the use of purging and treatment?

The theory of the four humors

What is the Latin origin of the word humor?

umor- fluid

What major medical schools emerge during the Arab revival?

Salerno medical schools and schools in the middle east, North Africa, Spain

What was the significance of the Salerno medical school?

First Western university to teach medicine

What kind of treatments became more common with formal schooling?

Dedicated wards for diseases and surgical procedures

What is the origin of the word hospital?

hospes - guest or host

What does the Greek word cheirourgia mean?

handiwork or surgery

How did formal education shift medicine away from apprenticeships?

It allowed there to be hospitals and wards for diseases and surgeries

What regions preserved and expanded classic medical texts?

The middle east, North Africa, and Spain preserved and expanded classic medical texts

Why was the development of disease-specific wards important?

In order to keep other diseases from spreading to other already sick patients

Who was Andreas Vesalius and what did he publish?

He performed dissections on human cadavers and published the De Humani Corporis Fabrica

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

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

What does De Humani Corporis Fabrica translate to?

“Of Human Body Fabric”

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

He performed them on recently dead people allowing him to see what organs failed or why they died

Whose anatomical mistakes did Vesalius correct?

Galen

What is the Latin root of the word Corpus

Corporis meaning body