-
-
Evil Spirts
-
A tribal doctor cut out a part of the cranium to exorcise the spirit
-
Digitalis - used to treat heart conditions
Quinine - controls fever, relieves muscle spasms, and helps prevent malaria
Belladonna - relieve muscle spasms, especially in GI pain
Morphine - effective for treating severe pain, very addicting and only used when absolutely needed -
-
Egyptians were the earliest people to keep health records, and in Egyptian culture, priests acted as physicians. They used medicine to heal disease, learned how to splint fractures, and treated disorders by bloodletting using leeches. -
Offers hope for patients with previously untreatable cancers, with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
-
The ancient Chinese were the first to use primitive acupuncture therapies, they learned to cure a variety of illnesses and diseases using stone tools.
-
Ancient Greeks were the first to study the causes of disease and to confirm that illnesses may have natural cause rather than spiritual. Religious custom did not allow bodies to be dissected during ancient times. The father of medicine, Hippocrates based his knowledge on what he could see. He kept careful notes of the signs and symptoms of certain diseases, and found that disease wasn’t caused by spirits.
-
The Romans learned from the Greeks and brought clean water into their cities by using aqueducts, they built sewers to carry off waste, and they also built public baths. Romans were also the first with organized medical care, they sent physicians and medical supplies with their armies to care for soldiers that were wounded in battle. This was also the start of hospitals, buildings went up to hold and care for the sick. -
-
The Roman Empire was conquered by the Huns
-
The primary treatment was prayer, and medication consisted of herbal mixtures, and care was custodial.
-
-
Epidemics killed millions during the middle age. Bubonic plague killed 60 million alone, and other uncontrolled diseases included smallpox, diphtheria, syphillis, and tuberculosis. -
-
During this period they saw the rebirth of learning, new scientific progress began and many developments were made:
- The building of universities and med schools for research
- The acceptance of dissection of the body for study
- The development of the printing press and publishing of books -
-
He studied and recorded the anatomy of the body -
Discovered fallopian tubes -
Discovered the tube leading from the ear to the throat -
Understood physiology, and was able to describe the circulation of blood and the pumping of the heart -
He invented the microscope, and discovered the bacteria that causes tooth decay -
Apothecaries were early pharmacies started in this time. In medieval England, apothecaries engaged in trading drugs and spices from the east.
-
-
Discovered bifocals, and found that colds could be passed from person to person -
Medical students not only went to lectures but were also were allowed to observe patients at the bedside. When a patient died, they were allowed to dissect them and observe the disease process.
-
Discovered the element oxygen, and also observed that plants refresh air that has lost its oxygen.
-
Discovered a type of vaccination for smallpox. This discovery led to immunity to the disease and to preventative medicine in public health. -
He invented the stethoscope
-
-
He identified the cause of childbed fever, which was caused by physicians not washing their hands after dissecting dead bodies and then helping a woman give birth to her child. Once his studies were proven correct, cleanliness and handwashing became an accepted practice and is an important way we control the spreading of infections.
-
She founded the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, an event that established nursing as a professional and respected field. This school provided systematic training in nursing, hygiene, and healthcare. -
He is known as the “Father of Microbiology,” and discovered that microorganisms are everywhere. Through experiments and studies he also proved that they can cause disease. He discovered that heating milk can prevent the growth of bacteria, and
-
He discovered that some diseases that are caused by microorganisms can’t be seen, and these are called viruses.
-
He was the first doctor to use antiseptic during surgery, and he used carbolic acid on wounds to kill germs that cause infections.
-
He developed asepsis, and created a method to keep things germ-free before and after surgery.
-
Robert discovered many organisms that caused disease. He created the culture plate method to find pathogens and also isolate bacteria that causes tuberculosis. He also introduced the importance of sanitizing and keeping things clean.
-
He discovered the effect of medicine on diseases, and while trying to find a chemical to treat syphilis, he completed 606 experiments. On the 606th experiment, he finally found a treatment that worked.
-
He discovered the X-ray, and took the very first picture on his wife’s hand.
-
Early physicians used a multitude of ways to try and reduce the pain of surgery, even as extensive as choking patients so they would pass out so surgery could be performed. Many of them died from shock and pain. Nitrous oxide, ether, and chloroform were discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, and these drugs all have the ability to put people into a deep sleep so they wouldn’t experience any pain during surgery.
-
He found that penicillin could kill life-threatening bacteria. This discovery is considered one of the most important in the 20th century because it could cure diseases like pneumonia, gonorrhea, and blood poisoning, which killed many people.
-
His studies were the basis of psychology and psychiatry. He discovered the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind, and determined that the mind and body work together.
-
He discovered sulfonamide compounds, which were the first medications effective in killing bacteria. By killing deadly diseases these compounds changed the practice of medicine.
-
He discovered that a dead polio virus would cause immunity to poliomyelitis. This virus paralyzed thousands of people every year and seemed to attack more athletic people. This discovery saved many people from death or crippling.
-
Albert Sabin, in contrast to Salk’s virus, used a live polio virus vaccine, which showed to be more effective. This vaccine is still used today to immunize babies against this disease.
-
These two discovered the structure of DNA, based on the double helix. Their model explained how DNA replicates and how hereditary information is coded on it. They won a Nobel prize for their discovery in 1962.
-
He performed the first successful heart transplant.
-
He is a pioneer in separating Siamese twins and preforming hemispherectomies, which are surgeries on the brain to stop seizures.
-
-
Tailors treatment to individual characteristics rather than using one-size-fits-all approach. It improves the effectiveness of treatment and reduces unnecessary side effects.
-
Used for printing prosthetics, implants, and even human tissue, like skin and cartilage. It allows custom-made medical devices, faster surgical planning, and experimental organ printing in the future.
-
Offers hope for patients with previously untreatable cancers, with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
-
AI can analyze medical images or data faster and sometimes more accurately than human doctors. It improves early diagnosis, reduces error, and assists overwhelmed healthcare systems.
-
By reducing severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths, the vaccine helped control a global pandemic that had already killed millions. It was also the fastest vaccine development in history, as a traditional vaccine would take 5-10 years to develop.