History of Health Care (Chapter 1.1)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the History of Health Care lecture notes (Chapter 1.1).

Trepanation

Boring a hole in the skull to treat insanity, epilepsy, and headaches.

Hippocrates

Father of Medicine; argued disease was not caused by supernatural forces, emphasized proper diet and hygiene, documented signs and symptoms, and established medical ethics.

Aristotle

Ancient Greek that dissected animals to understand anatomy and founded the science of comparative anatomy.

Asclepius

Greek god of medicine; staff with a serpent symbol; temples in his honor became early clinics and hospitals.

Ancient Romans

Built the earliest hospitals in homes and monasteries and developed public health systems, including sewers, aqueducts, and public bath houses.

Bubonic Plague

13th–14th century outbreak that killed about 75% of people in Europe and Asia.

Dark & Middle Ages

Period when study of medicine was limited; illness often treated with prayer and divine intervention.

Abu Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes)

Persian physician who diagnosed based on signs and symptoms and distinguished smallpox from measles; proposed blood as a cause of infectious diseases.

Renaissance

1350–1650 AD, rebirth of medical science with human dissection, physiology study, and the spread of knowledge via the printing press.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

Invented the first practical light microscope; known as the Father of Microbiology.

Apothecaries

Early pharmacists who made, prescribed, and sold medications.

Smallpox vaccine

Vaccine discovered to prevent smallpox infection.

Florence Nightingale

Founder of Modern Nursing; established sanitary nursing care units and formal nurse training.

Dorothea Dix

Advocate who helped establish the first American mental asylums for severe mental illness.

Clara Barton

Founder of the American Red Cross; promoted first aid, water safety, and public health programs.

Joseph Lister

First to use disinfectants and antiseptics during surgery to prevent infection.

Louis Pasteur

Proved microorganisms cause disease; developed pasteurization of milk and the rabies vaccine.

Industrial Revolution (19th century)

Rapid progress in medical science due to machinery; led to inventions like the stethoscope.

Stethoscope

Instrument invented in the 19th century to listen to internal body sounds.

Sigmund Freud

Founded psychoanalysis and laid the groundwork for psychology and psychiatry.

Marie Curie

Isolated radium; research on radioactivity and isotopes used in cancer treatment.

Francis Crick & James Watson

Described the structure of DNA and its role in carrying genetic information; spurred gene therapy research.

Medicare

U.S. government health insurance program for elderly and certain disabled individuals.

Medicaid

U.S. program providing health coverage for low-income individuals (federal and state funded).

HMOs

Health Maintenance Organizations; managed care groups that provide prepaid healthcare.

First open-heart surgery

Occurred in the 1950s as a milestone in cardiac surgery.

First liver & lung transplants

First successful liver and lung transplants occurred in the 1960s.

Genetic engineering vaccines (1980s)

Developed to create vaccines for diseases like hepatitis, herpes simplex, and chickenpox.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; protects patient privacy.

Human Genome Project (2003)

Mapped the entire sequence of human DNA.

Stem cell research

Research on adult and embryonic stem cells to treat organ failure, study genetic defects, and test medications.

First face transplant (2005)

The first full face transplant was performed, advancing reconstructive surgery.

Epidemic and pandemic viruses

Viruses such as Hantavirus, SARS, Monkeypox, and COVID that can cause widespread disease.

ReWalk device (2011)

Assistive exoskeleton enabling people with spinal cord injuries to stand and walk.

FitBit (2012)

Wearable device that monitors vital signs and activity in real time.

World Health Organization (WHO)

Organization that monitors global health problems and promotes cooperation to prevent epidemics.

Caduceus vs Rod of Asclepius

Caduceus is often mistaken as the medical symbol, but the Rod of Asclepius (staff with a serpent) is the traditional symbol of medicine.

Rod of Asclepius

Symbol of medicine: a staff with a serpent.