History of Medicine Part 1

Prehistoric Medicine:
Human societies have always had people that work as healers and are responsible for preventing illnesses and curing the sick and injured. The primitive medicine men, also known as shaman, frequently preformed trephination, a type of brain surgery that involves using stone instruments to grind a hole in the skull. The procedure was possibly used for removing demon spirits, treating skull fractures, or healing bone splinters.
Along with magic, spells, prayers, and charms, the shaman used signature or symbolic items to treat their patients. This included eating certain plants and leaves, and, sometimes, drinking the blood of others. Occasionally, the signature cures would work and the healers would pass the information to the next generation. This process has led to the discovery of drugs like digitalis, morphine, quinine, and ephedrine.

Egyptian Medicine:
Egyptian healers, or priest-physicians, were careful to keep specific case histories on each patient. Based on these records, we know that the Egyptians used methods of training and practice that closely resemble those of modern medicine. The priest-physicians specialized in treating different parts of the body because they believed that different Gods ruled each major organ and various body functions. For example, there was an official "Lady Director of Lady Physicians" who supervised the work of female practitioners who specialized in minor surgery and bloodletting as well as obstetrics and gynecology.
The Egyptians also utilized specific religious incantations to treat different illnesses because religion and medicine overlapped. Nevertheless, the priest-physicians treated patients physically as well as spiritually and even developed surgical techniques that are still in use today, like using direct compression to stop bleeding. The Egyptians also kept extensive records documenting diseases, conditions, symptoms, explanations of what other healers should look for during exams, suggestions for therapies, and descriptions of how to develop a prognosis. Once a diagnosis was made, priest-physicians and pharmacists would choose from nearly 700 different drugs and an assortment of mortars, mills, sieves, and balances to prepare 800 standardized prescriptions that were administered in the form of pills, ointments, inhalants, and gargles.

Classical Medicine (Greeks and Romans):
Hippocrates, the most famous of all ancient physicians, was born in 460 BC. He and his students wrote over 70 books documenting ancient Green healthcare and the beginning of professional medicine. Many of today's professional standards stem from the Hippocratic school, which believed that physicians should work for love of mankind, not personal gain. Physicians must still swear to the Hippocratic Oath before beginning their practice.
The Greeks believed that there were four "humors": blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile; four "elements": earth, air, fire, and water; and four "conditions": hot, cold, moist, and dry. The balance of all of these aspects within the human body, according to the Greeks, is what makes a person healthy. Thus, when a patient was ill, physicians would bleed him, or give him potions to induce vomiting in order to alleviate the imbalance and restore the four humors to a harmonious state. Simple treatments included prescriptions, careful diet, and minor surgery.
Romans valued medicine less than the Greeks. However, Roman Legion surgeons were far more proficient than Greek physicians. They were able to remove arrows and suture wounds or blood vessels with specialized instruments they created for those purposes. The Legion surgeons could also treat bladder stones, hernias, and cataracts.
Galen, the most influential physician of the Roman era, served the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Because he was the principle physician to the best professional gladiators, Galen became an expert on trauma care. He wrote over 500 medical books and stressed that the best way to learn about health and disease was through the dissection of animals and the study of anatomy. Galen's works and theories were used as the standard medical references until the end of the Middle Ages.

Arabic Medicine:
The Islamic world was the center of medical knowledge from the fall of Rome until the 15th century. The Greek medical transcripts were translated into Arabic and improved with the more sophisticated pharmaceutical information the Arabs possessed. Terms still used today, like drug, syrup, alcohol, alkali, etc., were developed by Arabs and also added to these texts.
Arabic medicine improved upon many of the Greek and Roman techniques (esp. ocular). They also developed sophisticated civilian hospitals and used them not only to treat and care for the blind, crippled, and chronically ill, but to train medical personnel as well. Their facilities included medical and surgical wards, a surgical room, a pharmacy, a clinic, a library, a lecture room, a chapel, and a mosque. Some hospitals even employed musicians and singers to help comfort patients.

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/15569/hist-1.html