Lecture 1: Medicine and Pharmacology in Europe

Question 1

Ebers Papyrus

Answer 1

Earliest extant record of medicinal plant use in Nile Valley of Egypt

Question 2

When was Ebers Papyrus written?

Answer 2

3500 ya but contents are older because reference to VI Dynasty (4500 ya)

Question 3

How bid is the Ebers Papyrus and how many remedies/treatments

Answer 3

Scroll is 20.3 m and 700 recipes for treatments of diseases and symptoms

Question 4

Example of remedies from Ebers Papyrus that is still used?

Answer 4

Castor oil as a laxative

Question 5

Who recovered the Ebers Papyrys and who purchased?

Answer 5

Recovered by Erwin smith in 1862 and purchased by George Ebers in 1873

Question 6

Hippocrates

Answer 6

460-377 BCE
“Father of Medicine”
400 healing plants in his writings
many have been described in earlier writings

Question 7

Dioscorides

Answer 7

40-90 CE

Greek physician and pharmocoligist

Question 8

What did Dioscorides write?

Answer 8

On medical Matters in 77 CE - used egyptian and early greek sources
- named ~600 medical plants and uses

Question 9

Theophrastus

Answer 9

Ancient greeks 
"Father of Botany'
- wrote Equiry into Plants  in 300BCE
- first book to note similarities among plant sp. and used to classify plants 
- expanded on aristoles work

Question 10

Galen

Answer 10

Roman
131-200 CE
- repeated and expanded earlier greek works (Dioscorides)
- encyclopedic work of greek medicinal teachings
paid greater attention on pharmacology including careful notes on plant drug and uses

Question 11

Famous and innovative medical schools

Answer 11

-Salerno - Italy
- Montpellier - France
- Oxford University - england
- University of Paris - France
- university of Bologna - Italy
primary repositories of past knowledge not new discoveries

Question 12

Constantine

Answer 12

1010-1087
The African
- translated a number of imported islamic medicinal texts into latin for the Salerno school

Question 13

How did Constantines translations have influence on European medicine

Answer 13

reintroduced ancient greek and roman knowledge (which had been lost in Europe)
- Greatly expanded on the greek-Roman knowledge base by introducing new innovative ideas from islamic medicine

Question 14

Renaissance Period

Answer 14

1470-1670

- advances in european medicine

Question 15

What caused the advancement in european medicine?

Answer 15

invention of the printing press and movable type in 1450 by Joahnnes Gutenberg

Question 16

Incunabula

Answer 16

Books printed during the early or ‘Cradle” years of printing (1450-1500) - often known as herbals

Question 17

What is the renaissance period also called?

Answer 17

Age of herbals

Question 18

Herbal

Answer 18

Book concerned with the material of medicine and in particular materials of plant origin

Question 19

Medical herbals that appeared during the renaissance period

Answer 19

1. De Historica Stirpium
2. Commentarii
3. The New Herbal
4. Book of Herbs
5. Phytognomonica

Question 20

De Historica Stirpium

Answer 20

By Leonhar Fuch (1542) - in Basel

• based on early greek and roman texts (particularly Dioscorides and Galen) but updates and new info too
• included wool cut illustrations of excellent quality and high botanical accuracy

Question 21

Commentarii

Answer 21

Pier Andera mattiolo - 1544, venice

• translated of Dioscordes but with number of updates and expanded text
• originally had no illustrations and therefore had limited use to most readers
• many additions and translated into many languages

Question 22

The New Herball

Answer 22

William Turner (london, 1551)

• First to describe the medicinal plants used in England
• Included detailed commentaries on the efficiency of various herbal remedies

Question 23

Book of Herbs

Answer 23

Rembert Dodoens (Antwerp, 1554)

• 800 accurate and beautiful woodcuts
• the herbal by John Gerard printed in England in 1597 is generally considered a plagiarized translation of the works of Dodoens

Question 24

Phytognomonica

Answer 24

Naples , 1588

- Promoted the idea of “Plant indicators” - an elaboration of the Doctrine of Signatures

Question 25

Doctrine of Signatures

Answer 25

Paracelsus (Swiss 1493-1541)
- states that plants take on the appearance of the organ or ailment that they cure. eg. heart shaped leaves cure the heart