Health Science

UNIT ONE

What did prehistoric people believe caused illness?

Prehistoric people believed it was caused by evil spirits or gods.

What role did herbs play in early healing practices?

Herbs were used for many things such as, mud to set broken bones, willow bark for pain relief, flint tools for dental treatments and trepanning to treat head issues.

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

The latin root is “herba” which means plant.

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

The term spiritual comes from the Latin "spiritus," which means soul.

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

Poultices were mashed up hers for wounds.

What pain-relieving substance is found in willow bark?

The substance was sallan which was a aspirin.

Define trepanation and explain its purpose in ancient cultures

Trepanation was someone would drill holes in a person’s head and its purpose was to treat head issues and release spirits.

What does the greek root trypanon mean?

It means bore.

What archaeological evidence suggest prehistoric people survived trepanation?

Some evidence were tattoos possibly linked to acupuncture and carried medicinal fungus like penicillin.

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

Otzi the Iceman was someone who did trepanning and it was revealed that he carried medicinal fungus like penicillin.

What medicinal items did Otzi carry?

Fungus like penicillin which was also an antibiotic/laxative.

How did religion influence Egyptian views on illness?

It influenced Egyptian views on illness as they believed that it was still linked to the gods but they focused more on hygiene, diet, and basic surgery.

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

Imhotep was the god of medicine in egypt and he was significant because shifted the focus of evil spirits as the problem to the people cleaning and helping their diet to get not sick.

What does it mean that Imhotep was deified?

It means he was worshipped like a god.

What two major medical texts came from ancient Egypt?

The Smith Papyrus and the Ebers Papyrus.

What type of information was found in the Smith Papyrus?

In the Smith papyrus there is practical treatments like stitching, bandages, and antiseptics.

What did the Ebers Papyrus contain?

In the Ebers Papyrus it contains the spells and remedies for various ailments.

What is the origin of the word Papyrus?

The word is a Greek word.

Break down the word antiseptic into prefix and root?

The prefix “anti” means against and the root “septics” means diseases which together means against diseases.

How did mummification contribute to anatomical knowledge?

Since the person needs to take out all the body person of the dead person to mummify them, it would have taught them where a body part is and how it looks and how it functions.

What are the 4 humors in Greek medicine?

They were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm.

What did Greek physicians believe caused the illness?

They believed it was an imbalance of the 4 humors would cause illness.

What does the Latin root umor mean?

It means fluid.

Who was Hippocrates, and what is his significance?

He was the “father of western medicine” and promoted observation and systematization.

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

It means sharp and the root also means sharp.

What does chronic mean, and what is its Latin root

It means time and its root also means time.

What practices did Hippocrates advocate for patient care?

He introduced bloodletting and purging.

What did Hippocratic medicine different from religious explanations?

It advocated for diets, rest, hygiene and symptoms.

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

He dissected animals for anatomical knowledge, built many sanitation systems, advanced tools and treated gladiators.

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

He treated on gladiators.

How long did Galen’s ideas dominate medicine?

Galen’s ideas were influential for 1,400 years.

What public health innovations did the Romans create?

They improved public health by building aqueducts,baths and sanitation systems.The

Name three surgical tools used by Roman physicians.

The surgical tools used by Roman physicians are scalpels, hooks and saws.The

How did medical knowledge change during the Dark Ages?

It declined and returned to superstition, prayer and religious rituals.

What role did superstition play in medicine during this period?

It caused a medical decline.The

What caused medicine to regress after the fall of Rome?

The European Dark Ages caused medicine to decline.

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

Black death occured during 1347-1351 and killed one third of Europe.

What bacteria caused the Black Death?

The Black Death is caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria.

How was the plague spread?

The plague was spread by fleas on rats.

What were the symptoms of the bubonic plague?

The symptoms of bubonic plague is fever, buboes and gangrene.

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

The term bubo comes from the greek. It means groin swelling.

What treatments were used for plague victims in medieval Europe?

The treatments that were used for plague victims in medieval Europe is blooodletting, charms and religious penance.

Why did many people blame themselves for getting sick?

Many people blamed themselves for getting sick because they thought they had done something wrong so they believed that illness was punishment.

What were alchemists attempting to discover?

The alchemists sought out the philosopher’s stone.

How did alchemists contribute to the development of pharmacology?

Alchemists created early chemical remedies to the development of pharmacology.

In what way were alchemists both mystics and chemists?

The alchemists were both mystics and chemists because they mixed science with mysticism.

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

Qi is vital energy and it relates by using the herbs, Qi balance and acupuncture to heal.

What are the principles of Yin and Yang?

The principles of Yin and Yang are two parts of one whole represented by two fish.

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

The Yellow Emperor’s Classic is a book about chinese medicine and it is significant because it contained medicine advances that the chinese knew.

Break down the word acupuncture into its parts.

Acupuncture means needle penetration.

What are the three doshas in Indian Ayurvedic medicine?

The three doshas in Indian Ayurvedic medicine are Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

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

Sushruta is detailed surgical practitioner who healed through a good diet , herbs and rituals.

How did Ayurveda treat illness differently than Western tradition?

They healed through a good diet , herbs and rituals unlike Western tradition which focused on evil spirit and Gods’s.

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

The nature helped Native Americans collect willow bark, tobacco and sage so that they can use it to heal.

Name three herbal remedies used by Native American healers.

The three herbal remedies used by Native American healers are willow bark, tobacco and sage.

How was Native American medicine communal?

All the treatments that the Shamans made were accessible to the public.

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

Shaman is intermediaries with spirits. They chanted, did drumming and herbal remedies.

List three common shamanic healing practices.

Chanting, drumming and herbal remedies are the three common shamanic healing practices.

What is one reason shamanism developed in many different regions?

They developed in different regions so that they can collect herbs and animal parts in different areas to use for healing.

What kinds of materials were used in African traditional medicine?

The kinds of materials used in African traditional medicine are roots, bark and animal parts.

Why is botanical knowledge important for African healers?

The botanical knowledge is important for African healers because they live in planty areas.

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

The two types of healers in ancient Mesopotamian medicine are Ashipus and Asu.

What were the roles of the Ashipu and the Asu?

Ashipus do rituals and spells while Asu are healers.

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

Physicians were held accountable for treatment outcome. It influenced medicine because even though it was an accident, the doctor could be killled for a bad result.

Break down the term malpractice into prefix and root.

The prefix was “mal” meaning bad and the root was practice as the word means ba practice.

Why was legal accountability important in early Mesopotamian medicine?

It was so that the doctor couldnt harm the patient purposely.

Who was Al Rhazi and what text did he write?

Al Rhazi was a persian physician who wrote Kitab Al Hawi which was a major medical encyclopedia.

What does Kitab Al-Hawi mean in English?

Kitab means “book” and ai-Hawi means “comprehensive”.

What did Al Rhazi emphasize in clinical training?

Emphasized careful observation, clinical experience, and experimentation. .

What principle did Al Rhazi promote long before germ theory?

Promoted cleanliness in healing wounds and treating infections.

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

Ibn Sina was a persian physician and wrote The Canon of Medicine.

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

The word Canon means rule.

What idea did Ibn SIna introduce about how diseases spread?

He introduced the concept of contagious

What is the root meaning of the word contagion?

It means “together touch”.

What did Ibn Sina believe about the causes of disease?

Ibn Sina believed the cause of the diseases were water, soil, and air.

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

Greek and Roman texts were important because Arab-Islamic discoveries were built up from the greek and Roman texts.

What are the four humors in ancient Greek medical theory?

The 4 humors are blood, yellow bile, black blie, and phlegm.

What did physicians believe happened what the humors were imbalanced?

They believed if the humors were imbalanced then the person would become sick or have an illness.

What treatments were used to restore balance in the humors?

Treatments included bloodletting, purging, diet and lifestyle changes.

What does the term phlegm mean in its Greek root?

It means swelling or inflammation in its greek root.

What is the origin of the term melancholia?

Melancholia has a Greek origin.

Who are the 2 key historical figures associated with humorism?

Galen and Hippocrates are the 2 key historical figures associated with humorism.

What elements or emotions were liked with each humor?

What role did bloodletting play in humor-based medicine?

Bloodletting was when they let blood flow and they thought if they did that then the the body would have balance again.

What belief system justified the use of purging as treatment?

Variolation justified the use of purging as treatment.

What is the Latin origin of the word humor?

The Latin origin is “umor” was means fluid.

Where did major medical schools emerge during the Arab revival?

They emerged in the Middle East, north Africa, and Spain.

What was the significance of the Salerno Medical School?

It was significant because it was the first western university to teach medicine.

What kind of treatments became more common with formal schooling?

Surgical procedures became more common.

What is the origin of the word hospital?

It comes from the Latin word “hospes” meaning guest.

What does the Greek word cheirourgia mean?

The word means “surgery” which comes from the greek meaning “hand work”.

How did formal education shift medicine away from apprenticeships?

What regions preserved and expanded classical medical texts?

The middle east, north africa and Spain preserved and expanded classical medical texts.

Why was the development of disease-specific wards important?

It taught people how to do surgical procedures.

Who was Andreas Vesalius and what did he publish?

Andreas Vesalius was someone who taught people on dissections and he published De Humani Corporis Fabrica.

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

What does De Humani Corporis Fabrica translate to?

It translates to body fabric.

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

He refused to do dissection on animals and performed dissections on human cadavers.

Whose anatomical mistakes did Vesalius correct?

Vesalius corrected Galen’s errors.

What is the Latin root of the word corpus?

It means “body”.