Prehistoric medicine Flashcards
What is prehistory?
The time before written records
When was writing introduced to Britain?
43AD
Who introduced writing to Britain?
The Romans
What tells us that prehistoric people believed in a spiritual world?
Cave paintings; grave goods.
What would prehistoric people have thought the cause of illness was?
Evil spirits
How would prehistoric people have attempted to cure illness?
By using spiritual or religious cures.
What medicines were available to prehistoric people?
Herbs would probably have been used within a spiritual/religious framework.
What was the lifestyle in prehistory?
First hunter-gatherers (nomads), then settled farmers.
What is the social organisation assumed to have been?
Possibly just family structures, but trade networks across the whole of Europe, and massive gatherings at eg Stonehenge.
How would medical knowledge have been passed on in prehistoric times?
Word of mouth. Large gatherings would have been the only time that new ideas could be passed round.
How do we know about peoples attitude to human remains in prehistory?
Looking at ancient tombs and burials gives us a lot of information.
Why are attitudes to human remains important?
Human remains are the only way to learn human anatomy.
What do we assume when we find burials with bones of different people mixed up, and the skulls in a different place?
The bones must have been moved after the flesh decayed, maybe they were brought out for ceremonial purposes?
What would be the effect of taboos about remains?
No opportunity to work out how the anatomy of the human body works.
What does taboo mean?
Forbidden
Did people have tools that could have performed surgery in prehistory?
Yes, the flint/ obsidian knives are amazingly sharp, and very delicate. Wounds could have been stitched using bone needles
Are there any prehistoric societies we can study today?
Yes, there are still societies where there is no writing, and no metal. This can give us clues about how a society can be organised under those circumstances.
Why have people studied the Australian Aboriginal societies?
To try to work out what life was like here in prehistoric times, as the artefacts and artwork are similar it is assumed the beliefs and society are also similar.
What is the biggest problem with sending observers to study prehistoric societies?
Their presence changes the society that they are studying. Ethical considerations - eg can you let someone die when you have antibiotics in your bag.
What medical help does modern aboriginal society give?
Setting broken bones; spiritual cures for illness
What can witch doctors, shamans, medicine men do?
They are believed to be able to cure and cause illness.
What preventative medicine is there in aboriginal society?
Rituals for warding off evil.
How is illness cured in aboriginal society?
Ritual for driving off evil.This may include use of herbs that will drive off the spirit, which may help against the illness.
Are herbs seen as “medicine” in aboriginal society?
Not really, they drive away the spirits rather than cure the illness.
What is the role of sacrifice?
Sacrifices are made to drive off the spirits.
What is the study of ancient disease called?
Archaeopathology
How is archaeopathological research carried out?
Ancient bodies are examined to see what health problems there were, what people died from, at what age, etc
Why is it so hard to determine the cause of death on prehistoric remains?
We normally have just the bones, and they may not be in good condition. We cannot tell soft tissue causes of death, eg a heart attack.
Why do we know so little about surgical techniques in prehistory?
The soft tissue has decayed, so we have no evidence left such as scars or marks of stitches to tell us whether surgery was attempted.
What prehistoric bodies do we have with soft tissue?
The “ice man” from a glacier in the Alps; peat bog men eg from Lindow near Wilmslow; mummies
What do the very rare bodies with soft tissue tell us?
The peat men appear to be ritual killings, so were healthy. However, the soft tissue can give us much more information about how they lived, what they ate, etc.
What is the cutting of holes in peoples heads?
Trephining or trepanning.
Why do we think that prehistoric people survived having holes cut in their head?
The skulls show signs of healing.
Why did prehistoric people make holes in heads?
We don’t know. Maybe to allow evil spirits out (for madness or epilepsy?). Maybe to have a special channel to the spirit world. Maybe for practical reasons to treat injury
What is the modern evidence on trepanning?
It can produce altered mental sensations
Why is trepanning done now?
To relieve pressure on the brain, eg after head injury
What is the implication of a spiritual view of illness?
It discourages research, as the cause is already known and is invisible. It is likely that any progress made would therefore be very slow.
