Medicine is the science or practice of the diagnosis; treatment and prevention of disease. Ancient Greek civilization sprung up around the 8th century BC. The first evidence of Greek medicine becoming a factor in Greek life came from Homer's the Odyssey and Iliad. In these stories we hear about Machaon and Podalirius the brilliant doctors and excellent men who assisted the injured men in the siege of Troy. Out of every three children born, only two would ever reach the age of two years. The life-expectancy of a healthy Greek adult was about fifty years. It all started with priests, who also acted as magicians and healers. Greeks also viewed illness as a punishment for not keeping the rituals and for misbehaving or sinning. Any healing was done at by priest in temples as part of cults in early times. The people would consult the priest to ask the Gods if he or she could and would be healed or cured. Although the medicine in ancient Greece was not as advanced as modern day medicine, ancient Greek physicians such as Hippocrates performed many procedures, prescribed herbal remedies, educated young minds about medicine, and approached medicine like no other at the time. As time went on for the Greeks, the magic and appealing to the gods encouraged physicians to seek natural remedies for the causes of illnesses. This led to gathering more information about natural remedies and cures. Greek physicians became terrific herbalists of natural cures and because the natural remedies worked, the Greeks became convinced that nature was the best healer. This is what I have learned about different Greek medicine as it applies to childbirth, deadly diseases, and medical procedures, battle wound including damaged bone and joints, depression, acne, ...
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... of medicine until about the eighteenth century. One of the major medical minds during the time was Hippocrates. He approached health by changing patient’s diet and environment to hopefully help cure them. He also introduced new methods and herbs for healing yet still involved the Gods in his practice. For the time, the Greeks had excellent ideas involving childbirth, surgeries, damaged bones, and battle wounds even if they were in a distant land. Greek medicine usually consisted of many natural herbs and surgeries. Since the Greeks were so advanced in the field of medicine, it is understandable that the names of several diseases have Greek origins. However, it is important to remember that the Ancient Greeks gave us even more powerful healing words like harmony, ethics, music, melody, hope, and perhaps above all, empathy that brought hope to many medical conditions.
In modern medicine when an ailment arises it can be quickly diagnosed, attributed to a precise bacteria, virus, or body system, and treated with medication, surgery or therapy. During the time before rational medical thought, this streamlined system of treatment was unheard of, and all complaints were attributed to the will of the multitude of commonly worshiped Greek gods (Greek Medicine 1). It was during the period of Greek rationalism that a perceptible change in thought was manifested in the attitudes towards treating disease. Ancient Greece is often associated with its many brilliant philosophers, and these great thinkers were some of the first innovators to make major developments in astrology, physics, math and even medicine. Among these academics was Hippocrates, one of the first e...
Hippocrates (c. 460-377 BC) was born on the Aegean island of Cos, Greece. He learned his medical practices from his father, Heracleides, and Ancient Greek physician Herodicos of Selymbria. Like many big Greek names of the time, Hippocrates was thought to have come from the Gods. He was considered a descendent of Asclepios, the God of Medicine. Two major creations of Hippocrates have upheld the biggest influence on medical history. The peak of his career was during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C), where his healing tactics helped Athenian warriors (“Hippocrates”, 1998).
The contributions of several doctors, researchers, and scientists helped improve the health of the growing population. In 1850 the average life expectancy was 42 years. By 1910 the average life expectancy had risen to nearly 55 years. Between 1850 and 1910 there were several advances in the medical field. The introduction of genes, white blood cells, blood groups, insulin, rubber gloves, aspirin, and vitamins and the discoveries of Pasteur, Charcot, Halsted, Zirm, Lister, and Koch were the starting point of an international fight against disease.
Did you know there was a time where infectious diseases like the common cold could kill you and your family? This was the elizabethan era probably the last time where sickness became the “grimm reaper” before modern medical advancements. With infectious diseases spreading and killing so many people doctors became desperate. Because these doctors knew very little about medicine, they were completely willing to try experimental treatments on their patients (Alchin). Sadly just about anybody with an infectious disease died. All the knowledge these doctors knew were based on: Humours, what brain function each internal organ controls, and how to protect themselves from it.
Medical procedures and inventions are constantly being developed and made better. World War 1 was a time in which many of the procedures used today were first thought of and used. It was a time that inspired the doctors and nurses working today, not to mention the fact that it’s a topic that still affects everyone in the world today. Medical advancements made during World War 1 had a major impact on the world as evidenced by those advancements still in use today.
Although he lived four centuries before the birth of Christ, a man named Hippocrates recorded the symptoms of diseases we still see to this day. Known as the “Father of Medicine” (Hippocrates), Hippocrates was an ancient physician who studied and recorded his observances of the body’s infections and physiology. He set forth the foundation for future physicians, and in doing so, is accredited for our knowledge of infectious diseases in earlier centuries. During this time however, many believed the earth and its inhabitants were composed of four general elements: air, water, fire, and dirt. They also believed that any one person who fell ill was being punished by the gods. As a foresighted thinker though, Hippocrates encouraged the idea that humans became ill due to natural causes. In that wisdom, he recorded all his observances of his patients and their illnesses, taking careful note of the bodily symptoms and their progression.
“… he was an expert in his art and in pharmaceutics, botany, and surgery” (Richer). This is definitely a step up from the spiritual and religious healing of earlier times that consisted mostly of prayer and ritual. Although faith was dominant in the Middle Ages, the methods of treatment in this document show that people did not only rely on god and destiny. A society with doctors who study all of these types of medicine is a society that cares about people. In a true “Dark Age”, people would be fending for themselves and not worrying about their fellow citizens. Also, being able to know where to make incisions during surgery without killing the patient every time requires a certain amount of skill and knowledge that one can only find in a time that is not as dark as history
The doctoring profession draws its roots to the time even before the ancient Greeks and since then, it has grown
Medicine has come a long way from the Greek period. Theories composed of the four elements were used to explain the sick phenomenon that happens to our bodies. Many of the those theories are not relevant as of now. Medicine and remedies has begun with the Earth, providing all types of compounds and mixtures to meddle with. It began with what nature offered: natural lush of sprouts, flowers, trees, bushes, herbs, and more. And now, medicine has become expanded widely through the examinations of scientists and doctors to counter or lessen many types of diseases, poisons, and epidemic that are drawn to humans.
Hippocrates used his knowledge of natural healing to help many people recover from what ails them in an attempt to; also, learn more of people’s sicknesses. Hippocrates once thoroughly examined the king of Macedonia, who was very sick at the time, and aided him in “recovering from tuberculosis”- which he did recover from (World Biography, 4).
Unlike today, the Ancient Roman doctors received no respect, because they were considered to be fraudilant. This reputation was caused by the doctors magical tricks, and the lack of useful treatments. The job required minimal training, as they only had to apprentice with their senior. Thus, many free slaves and people who had failed at everything else filled this profession. Some did try to find new remedies; however, others used medicine to con people. Public surgeries were done to attract audiences as an advertisement. Doctors would even become beauticians providing perfumes, cosmetics, and even hairdressing. When wives wanted their husbands gone, they would say, ¡§put the patient out of his misery¡¨ and the doctors would be the murderers. However, as wars began to break out, there were improvements bec...
Many people didn’t believe in medicine at all. The most commonly used treatment was prayer. Ordinary people relied on methods their parents and grandparents used, such as lucky charms, magic spells and herbal cures. Some of the herbal cures were quite useful.
Although it is not apparent whether or not Ancient Egyptian physicians had formal training or not, their methods for diagnosing and handling illnesses were very efficient at times. As a matter of fact, we still use some of their remedies today when we make medicines. Examples of the diagnosis and remedies for diseases in Ancient Egypt can be found in the Ebers Papyrus. This is one of the oldest known documentations of ancient medical practices, dating as far back as fifteen hundred BC. Steven Gilbert, the author of A Small Dose of Toxicology:
Hippocrates was a Greek physician that left a legacy that existed during his lifetime in Classical Greece and continues today. His moral and ethical standards were the foundation of his teachings, along with his meticulous writings concerning the study of the human body. He firmly believed that poor health and disease were the result of a natural process that could be discovered and cured through careful clinical reasoning and observations. Hippocrates travelled throughout Greece teaching and describing disease symptoms, and taught doctors how to analyze and treat specific illnesses or diseases. Hippocrates’s accomplishments give him the respect from doctors and medical professionals around the world that continues even today.
As the centuries unrolled and new civilizations appeared, cultural, artistic, and medical developments shifted toward the new centers of power. A reversal of the traditional search for botanical drugs occurred in Greece in the fourth century BC, when Hippocrates (estimated dates, 460-377 BC), the "Father of Medicine," became interested in inorganic salts as medications.