History of Medicine

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a fresh focus on personal habits; we all know the drill by now: wash hands with soap for 20 seconds, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol and do not touch your face. These simple habits go a long way in protecting us from not just covid-19 but any infectious disease (something to remember next flu season!). Although it helps to be reminded, most people know the value of personal hygiene and its effect on health. Infectious diseases were common in ancient times, and although the cause of such diseases was not well understood, the concept of hygiene was certainly associated with health. The word hygiene itself derives from Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health and cleanliness, who was the daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine. Statue of Hygieia. Image: Greek Mythology The Greeks had the theory of miasma that attributed diseases to bad air, which was really a primitive concept of hygiene. Hippocrates himself recommended patie

Happy Easter! Every year for Easter Sunday, Christians around the world pray to Jesus Christ, their Savior. It is the fundamental belief of the Christian faith that Christ came on earth to heal humans and rid them of their pains and sicknesses. On this occasion, I thought it would be cool to look at some of the supernatural beliefs related to medicine in the ancient world. Most of the ancient civilizations had a close relationship with god. All suffering and diseases were attributed to the wrath of the gods. This was most evident in the oldest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians believed that gods, demons, and spirits played a key role in causing diseases. They believed that spirits blocked channels in the body and affected the way the body functioned. They used prayer as a solution to their diseases, and priests played the role of doctors. Similarly, the Babylonians believed spirits were responsible for illness, with each spirit responsible for o

In my previous post, I wrote about the appreciation shown towards healthcare workers during the current pandemic. Not just during this crisis, but people, in general, have a lot of respect for the medical profession. Unfortunately, it seems it wasn’t so in the Ancient Roman civilization. Medicine wasn’t a very highly regarded profession in Ancient Rome. One of the main reasons for this was because many doctors were actually freed Greek slaves, so they were not respected very much. Also, becoming a doctor required no formal training -- it was mostly from apprenticeship. As a result, there was a lot of trial and error in treating patients, which resulted in a low success rate and therefore, skepticism and even scorn towards doctors.  The first Greek doctor who came to Rome was Archagathus of Sparta in 219 BC. He specialized in healing battle wounds, but Romans were skeptical of his methods of cutting and burning the flesh, which earned him the nickname, carnifex or 'butcher'.

This post is not really related to ancient medicine but dedicated to the medical professionals that have been working to keep their fellow humans healthy through the ages. People around the world are being urged to practice social distancing and shelter-in-place to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. About 4 billion people- half the world’s population- are currently under a lockdown of some sort, with  many schools, offices, restaurants, and stores closed. Most people are leaving their homes only for essential tasks such as grocery or medicine shopping. In the midst of this unprecedented situation, some people have to go about their work every day, putting everything on the line. They are the healthcare workers, emergency services, police and armed services, pharmacists, and all those who are out there working on the front line of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. We owe these essential workers a great deal, and I think we should take every opportunity to recognize and thank the