History of Medicine Lecture 1

Question 1

Hippocratic Medicine’s Main Features

Answer 1

1. diet or “regimen”
2. Four “humours”
3. Obeservation and expectative therapy
4. Prognosis

Question 2

Egyptian Civilization - 3000 BCE- Medical System

Answer 2

Mummies’ diseases- tuberculosis, arthritis, dental caries, parasites, cancers
Humans born healthy- attached by demons and intestinal putrefaction-
Medicine was magical/ritualistic/ Shamanic- “temple sleep”-aka “incubation” and therapeutic dream
Surgery- compounded drugs & Lay physicians

Question 3

What is Temple sleep?

Answer 3

Egyptian idea that sleeping at holy place will allow a visit from the Gods to cure disease

Question 4

Who was the egyptan writer in 500 BCE

Answer 4

Herodotus

Question 5

What did Herodotus write

Answer 5

Egypt was the mother country of diseases- parasites, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, anemia…egypt had many physician specialties

Question 6

Who is Egyptian Imhotep?

Answer 6

Ancestor of modern physician 2700 BCE- vizier to pharaoh Djozer—-a polymath, deified in later dynasties

Question 7

what is a polymath

Answer 7

a healther, high priest, astrologer, architect

Question 8

ancient egyptian medical instruments

Answer 8

lancets, forceps, hooks, probes

Question 9

What is George Ebers Papyrus from Egypt? 1550 BCE

Answer 9

most important & oldest surviving text- near luxor–covers many diseases=abdominal compaints, diseases of eye, skin disease
therapeutics = magical healings
lists of drugs, formulas and herbals
a dozen more medical papyri exist

Question 10

What is the significance of the Mycenean Era (1500-1100)?

Answer 10

Greece traded with egypt- knew therapies
shamanic folk healers and priest likely common (illness caused by anger of whim of gods)
Little survives before hippocrates

Question 11

Homer’s Iliad- 600 BCE

Answer 11

Begins with plague–describes battle wounds and treatment in trojan war

Question 12

asclepius was?

Answer 12

Son of Apollo, greek warriors and a “blameless physician” in the Iliad (later god of a healing cult)

Question 13

Athenian plaque (430 BCE)

Answer 13

killed thousands not only in greece, poss from egypt
-birds and animals affected?
cause unknown
fever thrist, painful pustular skin rash , rapid death
cost athens war with sparta

Question 14

Greek Healer characterstics

Answer 14

may different kinds- no rules for healing practices- iatroi (“healers”)- mostly part-time
others: exorcist, folk-healers, root-cutters, priest healers

Question 15

Asclepiads Clan

Answer 15

claimed ancestry to asclepius, son of apollo- hippocrates was born into an asclepiad on Cos- the Oath may be a pledge of fealty and Loyalty (hippocratic oath)

Question 16

What is an abaton

Answer 16

Place of rest- like gym==not really like hospital

Question 17

Pre- socratic philosphy- Pythagoras of Samon- 530 BCE

Answer 17

“Hippocratic” oath may actually be pythagorean

Question 18

Pre- socratic philosphy- empedocles

Answer 18

postulated all things composed of elements- earth, air, fire, water==called “roots”

Question 19

Pre- socratic philosphy- Alcmaeon- Croton 460 BCE

Answer 19

said to have been a pupil of pythagoras- first health was equilibrium between opposing body “humors” = fluids
first human dissection- described optic nerve

Question 20

Hippocrates of Cos

Answer 20

Father of Modern Medicine
- corpus hippocraticum - medicine as a science and profession, discipline, rigorous, practice, careful observation & records–practionars were clean calm serious and honest–first to describe many diseases and medical conditions
mentions plato & aristotle
- “primum non nocere”

Question 21

Corpus Hippocraticum- Greek Medicine

Answer 21

First time rejecting gods as cause of disease- facts over dogma, asserts physiology health and disease- rationally explainable
stresses observations over theory
expectative therapy- not active intervention
based on externals not internal anatomy
- deduced body functions by comparing body “microcosm” - tangible world– “macrocosm” - eye as lantern, stomach as oven

Question 22

Health is equilibrium- hippocratic system

Answer 22

imbalance causes disease & restoring balance and health

Question 23

Greek Medicine- Empedoclean

Answer 23

elements in macrocosm—fire earth, air, water

Question 24

four “humors” (chymoi)

Answer 24

yellow bile, blood, phlegm, black bile—corresponds elements (also seasons, illnesses)

Question 25

Hippocratic Medicine Features

Answer 25

Patient-oriented—favored “regimen” not drugs, including
- proper diet, enough sleep, exercise, right living to alter disease process, athletic training—diagnosis involved profiling patients diet dweilling and work habits

Question 26

Hippocratic Medicine- placed most emphasis on

Answer 26

prognosis- look of dying

expectative therapy= healing power of nature

Question 27

Hippocratic medicine - dissapproves of

Answer 27

heroic interventions- risky procedures “cuting for stone” - certain other surgeries

Question 28

The four Humors

Answer 28

yellow bile, phlegm, blood and black bile

Question 29

yellow bile

Answer 29

excess causes summer dysentery and vomiting

Question 30

phlegm

Answer 30

causes winter colds and epilepsy

Question 31

blood

Answer 31

associated with life- plentiful in springtime, expelled via menstruation, nature removes excess,—reason for venisection?

Question 32

Venisection

Answer 32

bleeding to cure

Question 33

Black bile

Answer 33

Later addition, form of yllow bile? dried blood?