Medicine Flashcards
How did prehistoric people become ill?
Warfare
Pregnancy and childbirth
Infection
Famine and food shortages
How did prehistoric people treat the ill?
They wore lucky charms, and let women and medicine men treat them. They often used herbs as medicine.
As there are no records, how do we know about prehistoric medicine?
By studying people who still live a nomadic way of life such as aborigines.
Tombs like ‘The Tomb of the Eagles’ are important as they give us bone records
What did prehistoric people think the cause of illness was?
Prehistoric people thought you got ill if you spirt had left you body or an evil spirt had entered your body when you were sleeping
What did the Egyptians believe about health?
The Egyptian believed the body had channels like the river Nile.
They believed if these channels became blocked, you would become ill.
They also used spiritual treatments.
How did the Egyptians clear the ‘channels’?
They used purging, vomiting and blood-letting to unblock ‘the channels’ when someone became ill.
What did the Egyptians believe about the gods?
The Egyptians believed the gods could cause and cure disease.
How was medical knowledge passed on in the Egyptian era
The Egyptians invented writing and recorded treatments in books such as the use of opium as a drug for pain relief.
Did the Egyptians have any knowledge of anatomy?
Yes. The Egyptians knew about the organs but did not know what they did. They learnt this when making mummies.
Did the Egyptians value cleanliness?
Yes. They bathed, shaved their heads and changed their clothes regularly. Egyptian toll toilets have been found too.
The Egyptians were the first to have doctors, how did they diagnose patients?
Usually they observed there patients to see their symptoms before treating them.
What were the liberal social reforms of the 20th century?
Things like free school meals, medical tests for children, state pension and national insurance were introduced.
Who was David Lloyd George (1863-1945)
He helped public health by introducing national insurance act of 1911 (pay for sick workers) when he was prime minister
Who was Octavia Hill (1838-1912)
She helped reduce poverty in London when in the women guild. She fought against small living spaces.
Who was Seebohm Rowntree (1871-1954)
He wrote ‘poverty: a study in town life’ which was published in 1901 his report concluded poverty was having an serious impact on people’s health.
He published ‘progress and poverty’ in 1941 which showed a 50% reduction in poverty.
