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History of Ancient Medicine

Although western medicine has its roots in the Classical Greek civilization, the history of medicine dates back thousands of years before Classical Greece. Medicine started developing as a science in the earliest human civilizations and developed independently in all four of the major ancient civilizations:

• Babylon/Mesopotamia
• Egypt
• India
• China

They represent four of the oldest branches of medicine with each developing independently and presumably without any interaction or influence from each other. And yet, they have many similarities.

Ancient medicine in (clockwise from top left) Babylon, Egypt, China, and India 

Babylon

Babylonians believed that diseases were caused by supernatural forces (gods and demons) and therefore, did not distinguish between magic and medicine, yet they introduced the practice of diagnosis and prognosis. Treatment included identifying the illness according to the power that caused it, and treating it with medical agents and rituals to appease the gods. Ancient Babylonians had a Diagnostic Handbook that contained a list of medical symptoms based on examinations, and specific cures to treat each symptom, such as bandages, herbs, and creams, along with incantations, prayers, and rituals. 

Clay tablet from ancient Mesopotamia with medical treatments

Fun Fact: The Code of Hammurabi, the laws laid down by the Babylonian king of the 18th century BCE, includes laws relating to medical practice, with one of them being: “If the doctor, in opening an abscess, shall kill the patient, his hands shall be cut off.”

Egypt

Ancient Egyptians were known for their good health, which was partly due to the dry climate but also due to their public health system. Although most Egyptian medicine was focused on supernatural healing, there was a specialized system of medicine with different physicians dealing with different diseases. The oldest written record of diseases and prescriptions are the Ebers (1550 BCE) and Edwin Smith (1600 BCE) papyri containing over 700 remedies for conditions ranging from asthma to cancer. Egypt was also advanced in the knowledge of anatomy, partly due to their mummification rituals.

Fun Fact: Another Egyptian papyrus, the Chester Beatty VI Medical Papyrus from 1200 BCE has the earliest known mention of medical cannabis (prescribed for cancer no less).

The Papyrus Chester Beatty VI with mention of cannabis in treatment of colon cancer

China

Ancient Chinese medicine, also known as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is still practiced widely in China and is based on the philosophy of balance with nature and that the human body is a self-regulating system. Its basic concept is that of Qi, a vital force of life existing within the body that is made up of two complementary forces called yin and yang. According to Chinese medicine, an imbalance in Qi causes disease and illness. TCM tries to restore balance in Qi through the use of herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, exercise (tai chi), massage (tui na), diet, and other forms of natural therapy. 

Types and Flow of Qi 


Fun Fact:  A New York Times Journalist accompanying President Nixon to China in 1971 discovered the healing power of acupuncture after undergoing emergency appendicitis and helped introduce TCM to Americans.

India

India had a well-developed medical history dating back to the Early Iron Age with theoretical concepts of disease and therapies. The ancient medical science of India, called Ayurveda, is still in practice today. Ayurveda has eight branches (ashtanga) of medicine including surgery and psychiatry. One of the main teachings of ancient Indian medicine (starkly different from the previous two ancient medicine teachings) was that health and disease are not predetermined and life can be changed by human effort. 

The 8 branches of Ayurveda described in the ancient texts

Indian medicine is credited as the origin of the humor theory, which was later adopted (and popularized) by Hippocrates. Sushruta (500 BCE), the founding father of Indian medicine, detailed 1200 diseases, 760 drugs, and 20 medical instruments in his treatise. Sushruta is also considered the Father of Surgery for his expertise in cataract surgery, and history's first known plastic surgeon for restoring broken noses which was a common punishment for adultery. 

Fun Fact: An entire chapter in the ancient medical text of Ayurveda is devoted to epidemics with a discussion of why people with different body constitutions, lifestyles, diet and genetic inheritance become afflicted with the same disease and thought to spread by climate, air, water, and land. It also mentions the existence of microorganisms (called krimi) which are classified as natural and pathogenic (this was several millennia before microscopes were invented!)


Sources

https://sciencenordic.com/denmark-history-medicine/clay-tablets-from-the-cradle-of-civilisation-provide-new-insight-to-the-history-of-medicine/1453651
https://marijuanagrow.shop/news/a-brief-history-lesson-on-medical-cannabis/
https://www.historyofayurveda.org/library/commentaries-on-charaka-samhita
https://yehaindia.com/ayurveda-an-overview/
https://www.meandqi.com/journal/what-is-qi-in-chinese-medicine

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