HOM Test Flashcards
The book starts by comparing humans and animals and the birth rates between the two. What did the book say about birth rates? What was the average life expectancy of men? Women?
animal birth rate- loses 80% of children
human birth rate- raises 70-80% of children
Men life expectancy- 35 Years
Woman life expectancy- 30 Years
What other interesting adaptations did early man have that animals did not?
Humans could live past their reproductive years, allowing them to explore and be with family more
How did most nomadic humans die? Why did women die sooner than men?
died due to fights, climate
woman died sooner- stress of pregnancy and shifting camps
Why did settling down shorten lifespan?
less nourishing diet, diseases caused more harsh impacts, increased trade, human waste build up, mosquitoes
Give three examples of why life expectancy (how long the person lives) increased, and three reasons life expectancy decreased.
Increased- Easier to care for Sick,
Immunity to common infections, more food
Decreased- increased trade, permanent housing, human waste buildup
Explain Trepanation. What did it treat? Where was it carried out?
a prehistoric medical procedure where a hole is cut into the skull
helps skull fractures, headaches, epilepsy, and mental illnesses
happened in Neolithic Gaul, Bohemia, North Africa, Asia, Tahiti, New Zealand, and South America
What is papyrus? Why was it used?
A plant, it was abundant so it was cheap to use and easy to write on.
Explain the differences between the three branches of Egyptian medicine. (Physicians, Surgeons, Sorcerers/exorcists)
Physicians – attempted cures by means of internal and external remedies. Lettuce, onions, alum, hippo fat, human excreta. Physicians specialized on specific areas of the body.
Surgeons – primarily treated external wounds and injuries.
They never opened the
abdomen. They focused on skin and surface operations like, circumcisions, lancing boils, and cutting out cysts.
They had scalpels, knives, forceps, and probes.
Sorcerers and exorcists- fought evil with incantations and amulets, they fought diseases with positive thoughts
Where did the Egyptians believe disease came from?
from evil spirits that entered the body through the mouth, nose, ears, or wounds and devoured the victim’s vital substance.
In what ways was mummification helpful in understanding the body? In what ways was mummification not helpful?
helpful- allowed dissecting and studying the body to be more common
not helpful- they thought heart was where intelligence was, didn’t understand the anatomy, due to sloppy handling of organs
What was cuneiform? How did it differ from papyrus? How were their beliefs different?
Cuneiform is one of the earliest known forms of written expression.
differed-
cuneiform on clay, papyrus on paper
Cuneiform could tell where different diseases came from, found that STDs came from intercourse
The medical profession consisted of sorcerers (ashipu) and physicians (asu). Explain how they differed.
Sorcerers (ashipu) employed charms and incantations worked closely with the physicians
physicians (asu) who were primarily involved in primitive first aid.
What is jaundice?
yellow color in skin, eyes, or mucus
comes from breakdown of red blood cells
How did physicians wash wounds?
Beer and Hot water, also used poultices and bandages
Explain the Hammurabi code (page 15). What were some of the responsibilities of a surgeon?
first laws that were obeyed, responsible for outcome of the surgery
What happened if a surgeon failed?
hand would be cut off, but if someone was poor it would only be a fine
How did Hebrew medicine excel in the areas of public health? Give two examples.
cleanliness
hand washing after dead bodies and before eating
and
quarantined people with plague or leprosy
What was done if they thought someone had leprosy or the Plague?
quarantined up to 40 days
clothes would be either washed or burned
houses would either be destroyed or disinfected
What is leprosy?
known as Hansen’s Disease
caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis.
causes Skin Lesions, permanent damage to skin, nerves, limbs, eyes
Explain what the word quarantine means and where the word comes from.
isolate a group of people or person, due to disease
comes from Italian word quaranta meaning 40
Explain what Chinese physicians attempted to restore.
Harmony and Balance between
Earth, Wind, Fire, Metal, and Wood
What is acupuncture?
the insertion of “fire needles” through one of 365-600 possible meridians that allows energy (chi) to flow through
What were some interesting items in the Chinese pharmacy, and what did they try to cure?
pulverized seahorse- to cure goitre
snake meat- to cure eye ailments
octopus ink mixed with vinegar- for heart disease
elephant skin- for persistent sores
What are the two areas of Indian Medicine? Explain both and how religion was intertwined with medicine.
Charaka Samhita- composed of medicine, showed importance of diet, hygiene, prevention, and medical education
Sushruta Samhita- composed of surgeries
What do wind, bile, phlegm, and blood have in common?
They need to be balanced for good health.
They make up the theory of the 4 humours.
How did the Indians excel in surgery? Include how new doctors are trained.
The Indians were the most extensive and successful surgeons of the ancient world.
They had over 121 different steel instruments.
Trainee doctors had to study extensively and practice surgery on inanimate objects like pickles, leather bags filled with slime.
First to perform nose jobs
In Egyptian culture what organ was considered to be the seat of intelligence and of life itself?
The Heart
What was the first culture to regulate medicine by law?
Babylonians from the Fertile Crescent
Explain why nose jobs were important. Who would get nose jobs?
would be used if someones nose was chopped off
prisoners would get nose jobs as a form of punishment
What was the theory of the four humours (humors)?
balance between blood, phlegm, bile, and wind was important for good health
What would happen if the balance between the four humors were disturbed?
disease would break out
How did doctors dress wounds? Was this good or bad?
herbal/mineral mixtures
good
because the mixtures killed germs
What other things did their doctors do that may have had negative effects on their health?
very tight bandages
intentionally cut patients to release blood
What is the reason for the Hippocratic Oath?
to keep doctors honest and ethical
Who was Hippocrates and why was he important?
The founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine
first person to believe diseases came naturally not by gods or superstition
What was the ligature technique? What did this new technique allow?
A technique where a thread went around a hollow structure normally a blood vessel to shut it off
allowed more complex surgeries
The Greeks established schools of medicine in Rome, all influenced by the Hippocratic Corpus. Explain the three groups: the dogmatists, the empiricists, and the Methodists.
The Dogmatists- keen to understand disease and approved dissection
The Empiricists- relied on experience and observation to discover effective remedies
The Methodists- believed doctors should follow only few rules, 6 months of training
How were doctors treated in the empire? Give examples of their social status.
Treated well
Julius Caesar gave all doctors citizenship, many doctors were freed of slavery, they didn’t have to pay taxes, and didn’t have to do military service
What did midwives do?
Aided pregnant women and mothers
How was hygiene and public health improved?
public baths
aqueducts,
sophisticated bathrooms that pumped waste out
Why was Celsus an interesting doctor?
he was the first to describe acute inflammation
What did he do to a pig?
dissected nerves of a pig, severed its vocal chords disabling its squealing noises when it tried to squeal
How had the theory of the four humors change during the Middle Ages? (Page 25)
evolved into a theory of complexion which stated the humors accounted for psychological, social, and physical characteristics.
Explain why urine was examined and what doctors were looking for? (page 26)
examined for 29 observations that could be made, looked for different colors and for blood in urine
How did the Black Death enter Europe?
dead bodies being catapulted into Caffa, boats bringing rats
What were early preventives and cures?
Fires of aromatic woods: purified the atmosphere
Staying away from intercourse, bathing, and olive oil was encouraged
walled people in houses in Milan to stop spreading
What was found in 1894 that may have explained the plague?
the bacteria Pasturella pestis was found, and shown to be spread by the fleas of rodents
What type of medicine would cure someone if they were infected with the black plague? (Using today’s medicine)
Antibiotics
How was the black death originally spread? (Animals)
Fleas would carry bacteria in their guts and mouth
bacteria would clog their stomachs causing them to starve
then fleas would bite anything due to hunger (normally humans and rats)
other fleas would bite rats then get infected
Where does the name black death come from?
the Plague infected people’s skin and turned it dark by bacteria blocking capillaries, which would burst releasing black and blue looking blood.
What was the first culture to regulate medicine by law?
Babylonians
What did Galen do to a pig?
Dissected nerves of a living pig, once the vocal chord was severed the squealing noise would stop
How did Galen hold back medicine for 1000 years?
Believed in the four humors and made the theory seem to be true, so no one went against it
Explain the three groups…
The dogmatists –
The empiricists –
The Methodists –
Dogmatists- Keen to understanding disease, and approved dissection
Empiricists- relied on experience, and observation to discover effective cures
Methodists- believed doctors should follow a few simple rules (6 months of training)
What were some of the restrictions put on practicing medicine during the Middle Ages? Give 2
Monks were forbidden from practicing medicine
Restrictions on cautery- the burning the body to close off part of it
What type of medicine would cure someone if they were infected with the black plague? (Using today’s medicine)
Antibiotic
