Ch. 1 - Health Care Past and Present Flashcards
Which institutions play major roles in the evolution of health care?
Hospitals and governments
As health care evolves, so do _________
Health concerns
How many health-associated careers are there today?
Hundreds
Which 3 categories represented most health care professionals before the 1900s?
Physician, Dentist, Nurse
What happened during Prehistoric Times?
Early people did not face bad diseases, such as measles and smallpox, but as civilization advanced, so did their understanding of the human body and its functions. Most medicine remained rooted in religious or spiritual beliefs.
What happened during Ancient Times?
Egyptians gained some basic info on the human anatomy
Egyptians documented washing and shaving a body before surgery (considered advanced for their time)
Egyptian medical processes influenced Greek medical practices of this period
Who was Hippocrates?
Important figure in early Greek medicine who rejected the idea that illnesses were caused by supernatural forces.
Instead, emphasized prognosis and created the Hippocratic Corpus.
What is prognosis?
Medical opinion about the likely outcome of a condition or disease
What is the Hippocratic Corpus?
Collection of textbooks, lectures, research, notes, and essays that were written by Hippocrates and some of his followers. Contained the Hippocratic Oath
What was the Hippocratic Oath?
Serves as the moral basis for many medical regulations and guidelines still in use today
Why is Roman medicine important?
- Put more emphasis on preventative health care, meaning that public health was more encouraged by the Roman government
- Structures were built to help pipe water into cities and sewage systems were constructed to remove waste from larger cities
- Romans developed the first hospitals
- Introduced the idea of medical specialists
What happened during the Medieval Times?
- Many religions taught that disease and illness were sent as punishments, so medicine was considered an unsuitable profession for Christians
- Healers, such as nurses, midwives, and dentists, performed various medical tasks but only practiced their trade part-time
What was the Canon of Medicine?
Written by Persian physician Avicenna, it explained the causes of many diseases and set a new standard for medical practices throughout much of Europe and Asia
What happened during the Renaissance Era?
Due to the poor conditions of Western Europe, the Black Death spread quickly and caused a pandemic that resulted in the death of over half the European population
What happened during the 14th century?
A renewed interest in the study of medicine emerged, and Greek and Roman medical texts were translated during this period
Many advances were made in science and research, which led to detailed studies about the human anatomy
Who was Andreas Vesalius?
Physician who revealed detailed information on the human body through dissection
His writings and illustrations were published as the first comprehensive book of anatomy, whose information quickly spread thanks to the invention of the printing press
Why were the establishment of the first medical universities during the Renaissance a disadvantage?
Stricter requirements to become a doctor of medicine resulted in a smaller number of qualified physicians
What happened during the 17th century?
New surgical procedures were discovered
A better understanding of the circulatory system, digestive system, and respiratory system were developed
What are some common inventions of the Modern Times?
Microscope, Mercury Thermometer, Stethoscope, Sphygmomanometer
What is a microscope?
Used to view previously unknown organisms
What is a mercury thermometer?
Allowed for the first accurate body temperature readings
What is a stethoscope?
Allows doctors to listen to the internal sounds of a patient
What is a sphygmomanometer?
Commonly referred to as a blood pressure cuff
Measures blood pressure, and became a widely used diagnostic device in the early 1900s
Who was Edward Jenner?
First person to find that a person who was inoculated, or treated, with a small amount of cowpox would be immune to smallpox (invented vaccines)
Gave the first successful smallpox inoculation in 1796
Created the term “vaccination” in 1798
Who was Louis Pasteur?
19th century French chemist who developed the germ theory of disease
Produced vaccinations to immunize against anthrax and rabies
What is the germ theory?
Theory that most infectious diseases are caused by germs
Led to a better understanding of the nature of contagious diseases
Who was Robert Koch?
German physician who researched diseases such as anthrax and cholera
Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1905 for his discoveries relating to tuberculosis
Why are Pasteur and Koch considered the founders of microbiology?
Their studies led to the understanding that infectious diseases were caused by certain bacteria and germs
