Health care

Mary Karr Griffith- Healthcare History

  • ancient Chinese
    1700 BCE

    ancient Chinese

    began the search for medical reasons for illness
    average life span 20-30 years
    carefully monitored the pulse to determine the condition of the body
    recorded a pharmacopoeia of medications
    based mainly on the use of herbs
    used acupuncture to treat disease
  • renaissance
    1350 BCE

    renaissance

    described the circulatory systemic the lungs
    promoted chemical remedies to treat disease
    average life span 30-40 years
    researched optics and refraction
    first book on dentition
  • ancient greeks
    1200 BCE

    ancient greeks

    developed and organized method to observe the human body
    recorded signs and symptoms of many diseases
    created a high standard of ethics
    average life span 25-35 years
    stressed diet and cleanliness as ways to prevent disease
  • Middle Ages
    800 BCE

    Middle Ages

    based diagnosis on observations
    developed criteria for distinguishing between smallpox and measles
    suggested blood was the cause of many infectious diseases
    began the use of animal hut for suture material
    average life span was 20-35 years
  • ancient romans
    753 BCE

    ancient romans

    created aqueducts to carry clean water to the cities
    built sewers to carry waste materials away from cities
    drained marshes to reduce the incidence of malaria
    an imbalance in the humors resulted in illness symptoms of inflation and infectious disease
  • dark ages
    400 BCE

    dark ages

    average life span was 20-35 years
    medications were mainly herbal mixtures
    monks and priests provided custodial care for sick people
    prayer was used to treat illness
  • ancient Egyptians
    400 BCE

    ancient Egyptians

    earliest people to maintain accurate health records
    called upon the gods to heal them when disease occurred
    believed the body was a system of channels for air, tears ,urine, sperm, blood, and feces
    used magic to treat disease
  • 16 and 17 century

    16 and 17 century

    established the use of ligatures to bind arteries and stop bleeding
    average life span 35-45 years
    identified the Fallopian tubes
    causes of disease were not known
    many people died from infection and puerperal fever
  • 18th century

    18th century

    established scientific surgical procedures
    introduced feeding tube
    average life span was 40-45 years
    created mercury thermometer
    discovered the element oxygen
  • 19,20,21 century

    19,20,21 century

    average life span 40-80 years
    pasteurizing milk to kill bacteria
    creating a vaccine for rabies
    a sheep was cloned
    demonstrated that mosquitos carry yellow fever
    the first successful voice box
    first test tube on a baby