The Roots of Biology

Question 1

What types of working knowledge did hunter gatherer people need about animals?

Answer 1

animal biology such as habits of animals, migration, behaviour, internal anatomy, how best to kill them

Question 2

What did hunter gatherers need to know about plants?

Answer 2

knowledge of plant diversity and use: plants as food, plant as medicines, plants as weapons, tools and construction materials

Question 3

Roots of biology in agriculture:

domestication of plants and animals meant what?

Answer 3

that their reproduction fell under the control of people which lead to artificial selection

Question 4

What is artificial selcetion?

Answer 4

deliberate selective breeding for altered characteristics

Question 5

domesticated plants arose by what?

Answer 5

both unintentional and intentional selection

traits that were selected during plant domestication

Question 6

What type of knowledge was required for agriculture and domestication of plants/animals?

Answer 6

Biological knowledge

Question 7

Domestication of animals involved what?

Answer 7

keeping animals alive rather than hunting and killing them, this would have required knowledge of nutrition, breeding, behaviour and disease

Question 8

What traits were selected/arose during plant domestications?

Answer 8

• larger seeds
• non-shattering inflorescence
• high/low yield
• seed dormancy (such as chestnuts that need a period of cold to germinate)
• self pollination (such as corn and wheat)
• removal of toxins (such as removal of cyanide from almonds)
• modified proteins (such as gluten in bread wheat)

Question 9

Roots of biology in early medicine?

what were the subdivisions in early civilization?

Answer 9

pharmacology, surgery and magic and religion, usually done by different practitioners

Question 10

assyrians discovered what?

Answer 10

pollination a female date palm

Question 11

How were physician organized in early Egypt?

Answer 11

among elite, and were organized into a hierarchy, from chief physician to bandager

Question 12

Who was and what did he do Imhotep did what? What are his dates?

Answer 12

2700-2600 BC. Was an architect, physician, polymath , might have written surgical texts. Possibly inspired or played a role in the Edwin Smith Papyrus

Question 13

What was Imhotem defied as after his death?

Answer 13

God of medicine (Asclepios)

Question 14

The Edwin smith papyrus was what?

Answer 14

Worlds oldest medical treatise (1600BC), but may date back to Imhotep

Question 15

What was discussed in the Edwin Smith Papyrus?

Answer 15

Diagnosis and treatment
Traumatic military injuries presented as 48 case histories
Contained very little magic
Shows some knowledge of anatomy and speculates about physiology

Question 16

In what written record is the connection between blood and life/death first speculated?

Answer 16

The Edwin Smith papyrus

Question 17

What is contained within the Ebers Papyrus? When was it dated?

Answer 17

1550 BC
Formulas for over 700 drugs, contains both practical advice and magic.

Question 18

What important ancient medical text was written in China and when?

Answer 18

The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, 2nd century BC

Question 19

What main idea, seen also in some Egyptian and Geek medicine, is contained within The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon?

Answer 19

• Illness results from natural causes, not supernatural causes
• Illness can result from disruption of flow of chi
• Ilness can result from imbalances in Yin and Yang
• Human body is a microcosm that reflects the world as a whole, the macrosm

Question 20

What is Chi?

Answer 20

Vital energy that flows along the meridians

Question 21

What is Yin and Yang?

Answer 21

yin: negative, dark, cold, empty, earthly, feminine
yang: positive, bright, warm, full, heavenly, masculine

Question 22

What 5 elements were suggested by The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon to be important for the persistence of life?

Answer 22

1. Wood
2. Fire
3. Earth
4. Metal
5. Water

Question 23

What is the result of the microcosm/macrocosm described in the Yellow Emperors Inner Canon?

Answer 23

Natures five phases have correspondance to the parts of the mind and body, and these relationships can be manipulated by the physician for the benefit of the patient

Question 24

What is an example of the relationship between natures five phases and the parts of body/mind?

Answer 24

Fire corresponds to
- creativity
- happiness
- heart, small intestine (fire organs)

Question 25

What were the roots of Biology in Aesthetics

Answer 25

Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptian and mesopotamian cities had zoos and botanical gardens

Question 26

What differentiates a menagerie from a zoo?

Answer 26

Menagerie: collection of animals, a sign of wealth and status
Zoo: scientific interest, study of organisms

Question 27

What was the layout and dates of the Persian formal garden plan? How did this inspire the meaning of the word “paradise” (pairi-daeza)?

Answer 27

6th-4th centuries BC
Four equal sections separated by canals and surrounded by a high walls. The word “paradise” comes from the Persian word for “surrounded by walls”