Prehistoric people were hunter-gatherers. They lived in small groups and constantly moved around the country seeking out the best conditions for shelter and food supplies. In order to explain the many things in the world they could not otherwise understand, they believed in spirits. Prehistoric medicine Medicine was extremely basic and what treatments there were reflected their close relationship to nature and their superstition about spirits.
Though prehistoric people had very little idea of how the body worked treatments included: simple cures using medicinal herbs. setting broken limbs. blaming evil spirits for disease. employing ‘medicine men’ whom they believed wielded power over spirits. practising trepanning to release evil spirits. How do we know about what life was like so long ago? There were no written records available at this time, so we have to rely on the findings of archaeologists. Archaeologists have studied skeletons from prehistoric times (including ones found individually and those found in large tombs) and well-preserved bodies found in peat bogs. Cave paintings can also give evidence of what life was like.
The study of skeletons and preserved bodies can yield the following evidence: what sorts of diseases prehistoric people suffered from what condition their bones and teeth were in whether physical work or warfare caused death or deformity what they ate for their last meal how old they were when they died. Archaeologists have found some evidence that suggests what the beliefs of prehistoric people were. Cave paintings give clues about what people thought caused some diseases. Other evidence, such as charms, provide further clues about these beliefs.
To confirm their ideas, historians have talked to groups of people, such as some Aborigines in Australia, whose lifestyles have not changed for thousands of years. By examining their beliefs and practices we can get an insight into prehistoric life. Those Aborigines who still follow their traditional culture believe that everyone has their own spirit inside themselves. If a person becomes ill, it is because their spirit has left them, or an evil spirit has entered their body To get treatment, Aborigines go to a Medicine Man who knows all about spirits.
He puts his patient into a trance by singing and chanting and then massages the sick area which releases the spirit and the patient is cured. Traditionally, Aborigines also wore charms to keep evil spirits away, and buried their cut-off nails and hair and their excrement, probably to prevent spirits casting spells on them. All through the history of medicine we find the use of herbal medicine to cure illness and disease, and the Aborigines are no exception. Many women treat their families with herbal remedies and use recipes handed down over thousands of years.
Prehistoric people understood that some medical problems were the result of natural causes, and would treat the problems using natural remedies. For example, an open wound might be covered up. When the causes of an ailment weren’t understood, the problem was believed to have supernatural causes. For example, a fit would be thought to be caused by the body being possessed by a spirit. There was very limited use of surgery in prehistoric times. One amazing operation did take place.
This was trepanning or trephining, which involved cutting a hole in the skull, possibly to release evil spirits which were causing illness. Archaeological evidence suggests that people did survive trepanning, although we don’t know whether it had any positive effects. While medicine in prehistoric Britain and many other places were primitive, elsewhere in the world there were some countries which were highly civilized and advanced. The Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations all developed comfortable lifestyles, with an emphasis on hygiene and medical care.
Ancient Egypt Religion The Ancient Egyptians were very religious. They believed in the afterlife, and this led to them mummifying bodies. As a result of this they learnt more about anatomy Writing The Egyptians developed writing. This enabled them to record their ideas and medical successes. Famous Egyptian books include the Papyrus Ebers and the Papyrus Edwin Smith. Disease Religious belief meant that Egyptians were very clean, so disease wouldn’t spread rapidly. They treated diseases with herbs and drugs.
Not to tackle the disease though, they thought the drugs drove out evil spirits. Surgery The Egyptians were able to remove cists and abscesses. Although they had developed knowledge of anatomy, they couldn’t dissect which meant that surgical skills developed: but not as far as they may have done. Changes The Egyptians started to use natural, practical cures for illness. They were the first civilisation to write down medical procedures. Continuity Egyptians continued to believe that disease was sent by the Gods. They continued to use Supernatural cures for many ailments.
Surgery Egyptian surgery included mending broken bones and removing cysts, but no major surgery was done. Egyptian religion required that the body stayed intact, meaning that embalmers extracted organs through small incisions and no dissections happened. Treatment for a broken nose from the Papyrus, 1550 BC: “…clean his nose with two plugs of linen and then insert two plugs soaked in grease into his nostrils. You should make him rest until the swelling has gone down, you should bandage his nose with stiff rolls of linen and treat him with lint every day until he recovers.
” Egyptians, like prehistoric Britons and Aborigines, believed in the presence of spirits, and many wore charms or amulets to ward off the evil ones. They also believed that gods could both cause and cure disease. Temples were built where the sick could bathe in holy water or sleep overnight, in the hope that their god would send a cure. The Egyptians had many remedies for illnesses. They also relied on charms and worshipping gods. The Egyptians’ medical knowledge was far superior to that of the ancient Britons or Aborigines, yet their life expectancy was only marginally better.
Ancient Greece The Ancient Greeks built a large settled civilisation around the Mediterranean between 800-400BC. Ancient Greece wasn’t one big country It was made up a several smaller ‘city states’ organised in different ways Some were aristocracies (ruled by the rich) Some were monarchies (ruled by a king) Some were democracies (ruled by the people) Greek city states competed with each other to be the best at things The Greeks were settled, they traded and became rich. They had slaves so had the money and time to spend developing ideas and theories Like the Egyptians the Greeks had many gods.
They explained events and nature by reference to the gods – for instance war might occur because Zeus was angry and illness could be taken away by the god of healing Askelpios Large temples called Askelpians were built in honour of the god of healing where sick people went for care The Ancient Greeks were frequently at war with their neighbours the Persians Wars involved hand to hand fighting causing many open wounds and injuries The Greeks could afford to spend time and money on education They built primary schools and secondary schools.
Learning, thinking, writing and philosophy were highly valued in Ancient Greece. The Greek doctor Hippocrates became so famous that even today new doctors take an oath (make a promise) called the Hippocratic Oath in honour of him when they qualify Hippocrates came up with the idea that the causes of illness and disease were NATURAL not SUPERNATURAL Ancient Rome By 200 BC the Greek Empire was in decline and the Roman Empire was growing.
However, there was a significant period of overlap between the two empires,and much knowledge and understanding was shared between the two. By the 2nd century AD, the Romans controlled much of Western Europe. To control this huge empire, Rome used a vast, highly-trained army. The Romans knew that to keep this army effective and able to take over new lands and defend existing territory, its soldiers needed to be well cared for. Each Roman fort had a bath house, toilets, fresh water supplies and a hospital. The Romans emphasized hygiene, together with exercise and diet, to help keep their soldiers fit.
Public health is the measures taken by a government to look after the health of its people Today we expect to have a toilet and a bath in our homes, to have a ready supply of running water and to have sewage taken away. These services are part of public health. Although the Egyptians and Greeks promoted hygienic lifestyles, the Romans had a system of public health on a scale not seen before. The Romans were able to make the link between hygiene and disease.
They made this link by observing what seemed to cause ill health, and then taking preventative methods against the causes of illness. This process led to a developed system of public health, which included: The location of villas and other buildings were carefully planned: Marcus Varro wrote “…place it at the foot of a wooded hill where it is exposed to health-giving winds…” Aqueducts were built to transport fresh water, such as the Pont du Gard in France.
Public bathhouses were built which charged minimal entrance fees. Communal public toilets were built in all towns. Efficient drainage systems carried away sewage and waste water. Although there were developments in medicine and public health, many people still relied on the gods for cures. This was often their first step in treating disease. People prayed to Salus, the Roman goddess of health, and the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius.