History of Health Care 1.1

Some treatment methods in used today were also used in ancient times

Before drug stores people used herbs and plants as medicinesMany are still used today

Example: morphine is made from poppy plants and is used to treat pain

Ancient Times

• Belief that disease and illness caused by demons and evil spirits

• Treatment was directed toward eliminating the evil spirit

• As civilization developed, changes occurred; people began studying the body and how it functioned

• Religion played an important role; illness was a punishment from the gods, and ceremonies were performed to eliminate evil spirits and restore health

Ancient Egypt

• First people to keep written health records

• Written on stone by priests who acted as physicians

• Most people could not read or write

Ancient Chinese

• Had a strong belief in the need to cure the spirit and nourish the entire body

• Holistic medicine- stress treating the entire patient, mind, body, soul

Ancient Greeks

• Hippocrates- The Father of Medicine

• Records created by him and other physicians helped to establish that disease is caused by natural causes, not supernatural spirits and demons

• First to stress a good diet and cleanliness to prevent disease

Ancient Romans

• Realized that some disease was connected to filth, contaminated water, and poor sanitation

• Began the development of sanitary systems• Built sewers to carry away waste and aqueducts

to deliver clean water• Drained swamps and marshes to reduce malaria• Established the first hospital for injured soldiers

Dark Ages

• After the fall of the roman empire the study of medicine stopped

• Individuals lived with little or no personal hygiene

• Epidemics of smallpox, typhus, plague were rampant

• Monks and priests stressed prayer to treat illness and disease

Middle Ages

• Brought a renewed interest in medical practices of the Romans and Greeks

• Monks obtained and translated the writings of the Greek and Roman physicians

• Medical universities were created• In the 1300’s(14th century) a major epidemic of

bubonic plague killed almost 75% of Europe and Asia

• Average life span of 20-35 years• Many of these diseases are nonexistent today

due to vaccines and medications

Renaissance

• Time period between 1350 and 1650AD• Often called the Rebirth of the Science of Medicine• Major source of new information about the human body

was a result of accepting and allowing human dissections

• Artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were able to draw the body accurately

• Doctors could now view the body organs and see the connections between different systems in the body

• Life span increased to 30-40 years

16th, 17th 18th Centuries

• Physicians gained an increased knowledge of human body

• Harvey described the circulation of blood• Ben Franklin developed bifocals for glasses• Microscope was invented by Anton van Leeuwenhoek• Drugstores started• Pasteur discovered microorganisms caused disease and

developed a process to kill bacteria found in milk• Edward Jenner- vaccine to prevent smallpox• Average life span increased to 40-50 years

19th Century

• Period known as the Industrial Revolution• Major progress in medical science due to the

development of machines and access to books• Rene Laennec- stethoscope• Formal training for nurses began by Florence Nightingale

(founder of modern nursing)• Dorthea Dix- founded the International Red Cross in

1863• Clara Barton- founded the American Red Cross in 1881• Joseph Lister- developed antiseptics to prevent infection

during surgery• Rabbies vaccine-1885• Average life span increased to 40-65years

20th Century

• Showed the most rapid growth in health care• New machines such as Xrays to view the body• Medicines and antibiotics• Watson and Crick described the structure of

DNA and how it carried genetic information• Health care plans were created to help pay the

cost of care• Standards were created so all had equal access

to quality health care• Average life span increased to 60-80 years

20th Century

• Fleming- 1928 penicillin• Freud- Psychology• Salk- 1952 Polio vaccine• Birth control pill-1960 • First kidney transplant-1953• Liver transplant-1963• Lung transplant-1964• Heart transplant-1967• Test tube baby-1978• Average life span increased to 60-80 years

21st Century

• Potential for major advances is unlimited

• Completion of Human Genome Project

• Embryonic stem cell research

• Cloning

• Bioterrorism

• Pandemics