Prehistoric medicine

Question 1

What is prehistory?

Answer 1

The time before written records

Question 2

When was writing introduced to Britain?

Answer 2

43AD

Question 3

Who introduced writing to Britain?

Answer 3

The Romans

Question 4

What tells us that prehistoric people believed in a spiritual world?

Answer 4

Cave paintings; grave goods.

Question 5

What would prehistoric people have thought the cause of illness was?

Answer 5

Evil spirits

Question 6

How would prehistoric people have attempted to cure illness?

Answer 6

By using spiritual or religious cures.

Question 7

What medicines were available to prehistoric people?

Answer 7

Herbs would probably have been used within a spiritual/religious framework.

Question 8

What was the lifestyle in prehistory?

Answer 8

First hunter-gatherers (nomads), then settled farmers.

Question 9

What is the social organisation assumed to have been?

Answer 9

Possibly just family structures, but trade networks across the whole of Europe, and massive gatherings at eg Stonehenge.

Question 10

How would medical knowledge have been passed on in prehistoric times?

Answer 10

Word of mouth. Large gatherings would have been the only time that new ideas could be passed round.

Question 11

How do we know about peoples attitude to human remains in prehistory?

Answer 11

Looking at ancient tombs and burials gives us a lot of information.

Question 12

Why are attitudes to human remains important?

Answer 12

Human remains are the only way to learn human anatomy.

Question 13

What do we assume when we find burials with bones of different people mixed up, and the skulls in a different place?

Answer 13

The bones must have been moved after the flesh decayed, maybe they were brought out for ceremonial purposes?

Question 14

What would be the effect of taboos about remains?

Answer 14

No opportunity to work out how the anatomy of the human body works.

Question 15

What does taboo mean?

Answer 15

Forbidden

Question 16

Did people have tools that could have performed surgery in prehistory?

Answer 16

Yes, the flint/ obsidian knives are amazingly sharp, and very delicate. Wounds could have been stitched using bone needles

Question 17

Are there any prehistoric societies we can study today?

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Why have people studied the Australian Aboriginal societies?

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

What is the biggest problem with sending observers to study prehistoric societies?

Answer 19

Their presence changes the society that they are studying. Ethical considerations - eg can you let someone die when you have antibiotics in your bag.

Question 20

What medical help does modern aboriginal society give?

Answer 20

Setting broken bones; spiritual cures for illness

Question 21

What can witch doctors, shamans, medicine men do?

Answer 21

They are believed to be able to cure and cause illness.

Question 22

What preventative medicine is there in aboriginal society?

Answer 22

Rituals for warding off evil.

Question 23

How is illness cured in aboriginal society?

Answer 23

Ritual for driving off evil.This may include use of herbs that will drive off the spirit, which may help against the illness.

Question 24

Are herbs seen as “medicine” in aboriginal society?

Answer 24

Not really, they drive away the spirits rather than cure the illness.

Question 25

What is the role of sacrifice?

Answer 25

Sacrifices are made to drive off the spirits.

Question 26

What is the study of ancient disease called?

Answer 26

Archaeopathology

Question 27

How is archaeopathological research carried out?

Answer 27

Ancient bodies are examined to see what health problems there were, what people died from, at what age, etc

Question 28

Why is it so hard to determine the cause of death on prehistoric remains?

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

Why do we know so little about surgical techniques in prehistory?

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

What prehistoric bodies do we have with soft tissue?

Answer 30

The “ice man” from a glacier in the Alps; peat bog men eg from Lindow near Wilmslow; mummies

Question 31

What do the very rare bodies with soft tissue tell us?

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

What is the cutting of holes in peoples heads?

Answer 32

Trephining or trepanning.

Question 33

Why do we think that prehistoric people survived having holes cut in their head?

Answer 33

The skulls show signs of healing.

Question 34

Why did prehistoric people make holes in heads?

Answer 34

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

Question 35

What is the modern evidence on trepanning?

Answer 35

It can produce altered mental sensations

Question 36

Why is trepanning done now?

Answer 36

To relieve pressure on the brain, eg after head injury

Question 37

What is the implication of a spiritual view of illness?

Answer 37

It discourages research, as the cause is already known and is invisible. It is likely that any progress made would therefore be very slow.