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

As we ponder the consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is interesting to look back at history, which is riddled with pandemics with staggering death tolls. I thought it would be worthwhile to compare the effects of historical pandemics with the current one for some perspective. While the effects of the current pandemic are certainly shocking, it was shocking to discover that other pandemics were even more devastating with some like the plague claiming tens of millions of lives. The infographic below offers a great visual representation of the death toll of past pandemics and helps provide a good perspective on how each pandemic compares with others and also to the pandemic we face today. Death Toll of Various Pandemics. Image: Visual Capitalist   The tragic loss of human life is an obvious consequence of a pandemic, but there are also other fallouts that are less well known but equally important in the context of history. Looking at pandemics of the ancient worl

Another important person in Greek medicine is Hippocrates. Hippocrates is considered the father of modern medicine who continues to influence medicine more than 2000 years later. Although he is as revered as Asclepius, they have very different origins. While Asclepius is a mythological character, considered to be descended from God, Hippocrates is very much a historical figure, whose origin and life is recorded in history. Hippocrates lived from 460 to 375 BCE during the Classical Greece period and practiced medicine in Greece. His contribution to western medicine is rivaled by none other, and his collection of works covers almost every aspect of disease and medicine including infection, hygiene, epidemiology and the human immune system. Bust of Hippocrates Also, unlike Asclepius, Hippocrates practiced medicine as a science, not as divine magic. He was one of the first to separate religion from medicine, and sought to match treatment with symptoms.  His observations in the Corp

Asclepius is the ancient Greek god of medicine. He is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman named Koronis, which makes him a demigod. Asclepius grew up motherless with different versions of how he lost his mother. However, in all versions of his story, he is brought up by his father, Apollo, who grants him the gift of healing and the secrets of medicine using herbs and plants. Asclepius is married to Hygeia, the goddess of hygiene and health (although some versions claim she is his daughter!) Statue of Asclepius Asclepius was a very gifted healer who was so successful at saving lives that he could also raise the dead. This made the god of the underworld, Hades, worried that he would not get any dead spirits, so he complained to his brother, Zeus. Fearing that Asclepius will make humans immortal, Zeus kills Asclepius with the strike of a thunderbolt, but later places him among the stars as the constellation, Ophiuchus , also known as the Serpent bearer. Ophiuchus constella

When watching news about the WHO (World Health Organization), I noticed their flag has a serpent coiled around a rod, which bears resemblance to many other medical logos. Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, is also always depicted with a staff entwined with a serpent, so it piqued my interest about the origin of the medical symbols containing a serpent and a stick. It was hardly surprising when I found that many logos associated with modern medicine are actually derived from the Rod of Asclepius. WHO emblem Statue of Asclepius with the Rod of Asclepius The snake was used as a symbol of healing by the ancient Greeks because snakes were regarded as sacred and used in healing rituals. The venom from snakes was considered remedial and used for many ailments. Also, the shedding of the snake’s skin was viewed as a symbol of rebirth and renewal. Several healing temples or asclepieia where the sick were sent to recuperate in ancient Greece had non-venomous snakes called the