Midterm 1 Flashcards
prehistoric
a time before written histories
What evidence is most convincing for ‘systematic approaches to illness, based on bodies of knowledge, occur?
Surgery and other forms of physical procedures
Then medicinal plants and animals
Then shamanism and magico-medicine
When was trephination first found in the fossil record?
7000 BCE
Most easy evidence to spot of all. Process of making a hole in a human skull. We know the procedure happened during lifetime because there is evidence of healing over the man-made hole.
- also how we know that the procedure was not fatal
There is more evidence for trephination relative to the other physical procedure evidence.
What percentage of trephinated skulls were found and where?
10% of skulls found from the time were trephinated. Found across Europe, Africa, South America
About the time when humans were beginning to live in settlements - easier to find collections of evidence when this is the case.
rondelles
the circular pieces of the bone that had been removed from a trephination procedure.
they had been found with holes in them, suggesting that they might have been worn - perhaps a fashion/ritual symbol.
Evidence for prehistoric physical procedures
Trephination
setting of fractures
dental work
male circumcision (found on young men)
amputation
acupuncture
Otzi
Speculative evidence for prehistoric acupuncture
Mummified
Tattoos -61- many around the joints . Tattoos formed by rubbing charcoal in wound
Because joints tend to suffer from arthritis - it has been speculated that these might have been acupuncture spots
Found with a fungus that grows on birch trees - the birch has medicinal properties (microbial) and pergorative properties.
had infestations in his gut
Fred the Turin mummy
Found in Egypt
First evidence of artificial mummification 3500 BCE.
4-5 materials: plant/sesame oil, blossom root extract (bull wishes), sticky gum from acacia plant, resin from conifer tree. Interesting because pine tree resin has antimicrobial properties that wouldve delayed the decay process.
DOnt know if the people doing the mummifying understood the properties of the items that they were using.
votive objects
Things offered in response to a vow, like a contract with a god, specialist, or a power, etc
Things you can deposit in thankfulness for being healed .
“If you can heal me, I will recognize it”
3000 BCE onwards - these have been found
Shaminism
Something we see in many cultures
A shaman is a member of the community who has special properties - is able to make a link between our world and another world.
one of the major roles of the shaman is often related to medicine (health, luminality of life/death)
When do we first see physical evidence for shaminism?
2000 BCE - figures that appear to be human/animal hybrids drumming
stele
upright column made of stone/wood that is often inscribed or has pictures on it
Most convincing evidence of shamanism and magic medicine?
1500 BCE
Little helpers or dolls buried with the body
Hesy Ra
One of the first Egyption Practitioners that was named. c. 2650 BCE
Edwin Smith Papyrus
Egyption - 9 Scrolls explaining medical stuff and magic stuff
The Edwin Smith Papyrus is primarily surgical - bone setting, head surgery
Also states when to do nothing -appears to be a more rational approach to medicine
What ‘age’ did written medical texts start appearing that help us piece together some evidence?
Bronze age
What are the earliest literate Bronze Age Civilizations?
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Greece (Minoan Crete Mycenean mainland)
Evidence of disease and early medicine in Early Greece?
Close to zero written evidence for medicine in this early greece bronze age civilization.
‘So we have to rely on later literature (esp Homer) to try to reconstruct what medicine in Bronze Age Early Greece may have been like
Homer
Author in the Greek world
First author in Western literature
He has writing in the 8th century but telling stories from the Bronze age… not sure how accurate this is but it is all that we have
Apollo
Considered THE god of disease and healing (prophecy, archery, music)
He who shoots from afar - Can strike down anyone at will (way for people to rationalize the nature of who gets ill)
Brother of Artemis
Uranus and Gaia
God of the Heavens and Goddess of the Earth
Children are the Titans
Who are the parents of Zeus?
Cronos and Rhea
Zeus is an Olympian God
Who were the parents of Artemis and Apollo?
Leto and Zeus (Leto was not Zeus’s wife)
Who were the parents of Asclepius?
Apollo and Coronis/Arsinoe (mortal)
So ASCLEIPIUS was not fully divine initially
Coronis dies soon after birthing Asclepius - various stories of how this happened.
WHO were Chiron’s parents?
Cronos and Philyra
But Philyra was not the wife of Cronos…
Chiron was taught medicine by APOLLO AND ARTEMIS
Chiron teaches Asclepius medicine because Chiron is raising Asclepius
Asclepius becomes divine?
At some point around the end of the Bronze Age ~1000 BCE
He begins to be worshipped (instead of Apollo) as the God of Healing and Medicine.
He usually has a robe over one should and a stick with ONE snake wrapped around it
Asclepius’ stick
A stick wrapped with one snake
We don’t know for sure what the snake represents but snakes have been associated with some methods of healing however (special powers)
But also snakes shed their skin so maybe it is a symbol of regeneration and/or rebirth.
Venom - sometimes has a medical use
Stick- associated with travel maybe
also treatment of Guinea Worm
Who were the parents of the 5 daughters associated with health and healing.
Asclepius and Epione
Hygieia, Panacea, Iaso, Aceso, Aegle
Hygieia
Associated with good health in the ancient world
Asclepius and Epione = parents
divine
