History of Medicine

One of the earliest surgeries interestingly involved the head and can be thought as a form of brain surgery. Trepanation was an ancient practice that involved boring of holes in the skull. The practice dates back to the Neolithic period which was 12,000-4,000 years ago and it appears to have been practiced in several different civilizations. Apparently, 5-10% of all skulls found from the Neolithic period from around the world show signs of trepanation. After the Stone Age, it was most commonly practiced in ancient China and South America, and the practice continued in Europe through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The name is derived from the Greek word trypanon , which means "a borer." It is believed that trepanation was done to treat various ailments including head injuries, epilepsies, and blood clots. It may also have been some form of tribal ritual to cleanse the body of evil spirits, particularly of the mentally ill. Hippocrates gives the most detailed account of tr

As I wrote in my last post, Hippocrates was the first physician to recognize the brain as the center of conscience and intelligence. Until then, it was widely believed that the heart controlled all emotions and intellect. This theory came from the ancient Egyptians who maintained that the heart was the seat of thought and soul, and the brain was nothing more than an accessory. They believed that good deeds lightened the heart, so when one died, the God Ammut would weigh the heart and decide your fate depending on the weight. A heart that was as light as a feather was returned to life, but a heavy heart was gobbled up. It seems that this is the reason we correlate happiness and kindness with a light heart and grief with a heavy heart! God Ammut weighing a dead man's heart in the afterlife. Image: National Geographic The ancient Greeks had opposing views on the center of thought and emotions. Aristotle was one of the most famous proponents of the Egyptian theory that the hear

This summer, I am taking a course in neuroscience at Harvard Summer School. I am super excited about this course because I have always wanted to learn about neuroscience, and who can argue about taking a course at Harvard? The study of the brain is such a fascinating subject, and I have always wanted to learn more about it. Since I am the only left-handed person in my immediate family, it has always intrigued me to learn that right and left-handedness is controlled by different sides of the brain. So my brain functions differently than everyone else in my family! At least that's what I understand. I hope to confirm this and a lot more when I actually take the class. The brain is hands down the most complex organ of the human body. It controls so many functions- motor skills, memory, emotions to name just a few. It's no wonder it has intrigued men since the ancient times, as early as the Greeks and Hippocrates himself. In fact, it is often said that the birth of neuroscienc