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4000 BCE
Primitive Times 4000 BC - 3000 BC
- They believed that illnesses were caused by demons and supernatural beings
- Tribal doctors were called in to treat illness with ceremonies to drive out the evil spirits
- Herbs and plants were used as medicines and some are still used today
- Trephining was used to treat inanity and epilepsy
- The average life span was 20 years
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3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptians 3000 BC - 300 BC
- Earliest people to maintain accurate health records
- They called upon the gods to heal someone when they were sick
- Believed the body was a system of channels for air, blood, tears, urine, and feces
- If channels became clogged they would put leaches on them to open the channel
- The average life span was 20 to 30 years
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1200 BCE
Ancient Greeks 1200 BC - 200 BC
- Began modern medical science by studying the body
- Used therapy such as massage, art therapy, and herbal treatment still used today
- Hippocrates was called the father of medicine
- Developed an organized method to observe the human body
- Recorded signs and symptoms of many diseases
- The average life span was 25 to 35 years
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753 BCE
Ancient Romans 753 BC - 410 AD
- First to organize medical care by providing care to injured soldiers
- Early hospitals developed when physicians cared for ill people in their houses in their rooms
- Created aqueducts to carry clean water to the cities
- Built sewers to carry waste away from the cities
- Used filtering systems in public baths to prevent disease
- The average life span was 25 to 35 years
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400
Dark Ages 400 - 800 AD
- prayer and divine intervention were used to treat illness and disease
- Monks and Priest provided custodial care for sick people
- Medications were mainly herbal mixtures
- Emphasis was placed on saving the soul and the study of medicine - The average life span was 20 to 30 years
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800
Middle Ages 800 - 1400 AD
- Renewed interest in the medical practice of Greeks and Romans
- Physicians began to obtain medical information in universities
- Major diseases were small pox, diphtheria, TB, Typhoid, the plague and malaria
- Physicians used their knowledge of chemistry to advance pharmacy
- The average life span was 20 to 35 years
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1350
Renaissance 1350 - 1650 AD
- Rebirth of science of medicine
- Dissection of the body began to allow a better understanding of anatomy and physiology
- First book on dietetics was wrote
- Development of the printing press allowed knowledge to be spread to others
- The average life span was 30 to 40 years
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1500
16th & 17th Centuries
- Establishment of ligatures to stop bleeding and bind arteries
- Eliminated the use of boiling oil to cauterize wounds
- William Harvey described the circulation of blood to and from the heart
- Apothecaries mad, prescribed, and sold medications
- The average life span was 35 to 45 years
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Ancient Chinese 1700 BC- 220 AD
- Religious prohibitions against dissection of the body
- Carefully monitored the pulse to determine the condition of the body
- Began the search for medical reasons for illnesses
- They believed the need to treat the whole body by curing the spirit and nourishing the body
- The average life span was 20 to 30 years
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18th, 19th, 20th, 21st centuries
- Tube feeding was introduced
- Developed a vaccination for small pox
- Pasteurizing milk to kill bacteria
- Influenza killed more than 21 million people
- The average life span was 60 to 80 years
