IS IT A FACT OR A

MYTH?
MISCONONCEPTIONS FROM THE ANCIENT HUMANITY

Nazyl Heins M. Guevara

BS ECE 1-5
 ACTIVITY 2: MISCONCEPTIONS

1. Compare the methods used in each video. Describe how they solve
problems. You can use a concept map to vividly show the similarities and
differences.
REMAINS OF ANCIENT HEALING

DIFFERENCES Strongly tied to the Medicine: vital DIFFERENCES

resolution on day-
daily lives religion,
and customs of
their society.
Prominently applies an irrational
method of treatment which was
widely attributed on magic and Medical
religious beliefs including breakthroughs are
incantation of spells. pedantically written
and recorded.
Egyptian Doctors believes that
the root cause of some illness
Endeavors of
are bad sprits and supernatural establishing the
agents of disease. foundation of human
anatomy.
Mummification, skeletal
remains, exhibits healed ANCIENT
Both introduced
fractures proves that coherent medical
Egyptian are eminent EGYPTIAN
system based on early
experts in surgery. MEDICINE scientific principles.
Doctors perform medical procedure
using various natural remedies and
Healing practice are
test which are plant-animal, and empowered by God
mineral based treatments such as and Goddesses.
honey, garlic, cumin, and other
to-day threats
Greeks are the great pioneers of
rational medical system centered by
compelling philosophic and scientific
intuition.
Medicine during the Greek Era
was widely based on philosophical
notions of care from great
philosophers like Hippocrates.
Greek medical
practitioners perform
bloodletting and purging
procedures for Fluid
ANCIENT
imbalance of the Four
GREEK
Humors.
MEDICINE
Adheres to the power of
the human mind for
wisdom.
The basis of health state of Greek
people was examined through the
balance of the Four Humors.

Medical Practitioners are deeply inclined

Discrepancies exist Intensely holds to an experiential
with their religious beliefs whereas they
on Ancient Medical and direct contact to examine
seek guidance and healing through their
Method and the body of organisms.
Gods and Goddesses.
records.

Sentimental relation and understanding

Human body knowledge such as with patients and doctors as well as the
anatomy are prominently attributed Animals were use in overall human character acts as the key
dissection as the
to mummification through elements for an efficient Greek Healing.
depiction of the human
embalming procedures. internal organs (Allen,
2005).
 2. Identify the misconceptions behind the videos then clarify it using modern
scientific concepts.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MEDICINE
MISCONCEPTIONS
Stings from venomous creatures
are healed through incantation of
spells on the God of Physician and
Venomous Creature, Serqet.
For the pregnancy of women,
doctors advised woman to plant
the seeds of emmer and barley;
watering it with women’s urine
which implies the chance of
pregnancy as well as to determine
the sex of the offspring.
MODERN SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS
Venoms of lethal creatures are recognized as
one of the disturbing cause of death in all
countries around the world. Venoms
compromised of neurotoxins made up of proteins
and peptides which damage neurons affecting
the central nervous system causing paralysis
worst death to organism affected by this toxin
thus, it is also a threat for human. including
humans. (cited by) As the field of medicine
voyage into the prospection of the modern world,
biotechnological advancement arises from
biomedical field leading into further observation
and experiments on the perilous effects of
venomous bites on the body. Neurotoxins from
animals are meticulously studied, detached,
retraced, and reprogrammed in order to produce
an effective treatment against itself
encompassed of bioactive molecules to eradicate
the venom within the infected body. Moreover, it
also leads to discovery of venom peptides as an
essential tool for emerging treatments
empowered by biomedical and pharmacological
procedures that significantly offers therapeutic
components through performing neurotoxins’
amino acid sequencing to utilized as a possible
channel for anti-venom or envenoming drug
innovation and production. (Munawar, 2018)
Modern procedure for detecting signs of
pregnancy was prominently founded by the
ancient techniques whereas women’s urine acts
as the specimen for testing and detection
whereas it consists of hormones called hCG
(human chorionic gonadotropin) from the
fertilized egg making its way to grow as an
embryo. However, the inevitable advancement of
our contemporary society pregnancy test from

ANCIENT GREEK MEDICINE
Misconceptions
One of the remarkable
misconception from the Greek Era
was the Four humor whereas in
order to correct the imbalances,
medical practitioners performs
blood purging.
plant-animal based test into laboratory test tube
based to an accessible stick at home, women
access into personalization and privacy whereas
it was termed as the private little revolution.
Modern home pregnancy test offers a simple,
easy, and instant method to determine pregnancy
having a 99% accuracy rate. HCG produced by
the placenta in the urine interacts with
monoclonal antibodies as a dye activating
molecule consisting of enzymes like Enzyme-
Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) that will
undergo binding process with HCG resulting to
an HCG and antibody complex. Upon the coining,
it will form the pattern of line implying a sign of
pregnancy either positive or the negative. A
positive or a colored sign signifies that a women
is pregnant and the enzymes successfully
catalyzed a reaction with the HCG.
Modern Scientific Concepts
The foundation of Human Anatomy during
Ancient Greek times offers a significant role in
further understanding the parts, functions, and
biological events within the body. In Physics and
Chemistry, the term equilibrium was an essential
notion on describing the conditional mechanism
and state of balance of a system. Equilibrium
correlates into a Physiological concept known as
Homeostasis a notable ability and self-regulating
process to amend the occurring changes from its
external environment of the human body. The
word “homeostasis” was coined by Walter
Bradford, Harvard Physiologist based on “milieu
interieur’ (Bernard,1865). Homeostasis adheres
to extend a comprehensive understanding to the
mechanism of the interior bodily environment to
remain constant required to survive with
inevitable phenomena on its external milieu. Its
breakthrough became the origins of distinct
biochemical alterations from genes, to
distinguished the responses on stimuli, generally,

Based on Galen’s notion on
Human Anatomy, the liver was the
organ pumps and produce blood to
the body.
how the body establish the capability to adapt into
changes inside and outside the body.
For an instance, fluid and electrolyte balance has
a remarkable impact in maintaining homeostasis
to the body as well as to manage clinical
condition like some metabolic
disorders(Balci,2013). Moreover, it is crucial for
overall cellular function, acid-base balance within
the body. The prevailing imbalances within the
fluid and electrolytes from the body significantly
affects the immune system and organs which
further results to critical disorders such as sepsis,
renal failure, diabetes mellitus, and severe
cardiovascular diseases (Ito,1989). The idea of
homeostasis revolves on the capability of the
human body to calibrate and undergo multiple
feedback system to maintain the equilibrium
within the body in order to survive, known as the
feedback regulation. Furthermore, the feedback
system revealed the termed for Adaptive
homeostasis consisting two categories: the
negative feedback system which maintains
stableness of range; and the positive feedback
system responsible for growth and sustainability
of regulating variables (Davies, 2016).
Additionally, homeostasis evidently became the
basis for modern research, observations, and
experimentation of various medical fields to
create biotechnological system and procedure to
alleviate fluid regulation process on the body,
along with further expansion to rampant causes
on the occurrence of certain diseases.
Alongside with the other system of the body,
cardiovascular system supports the overall
function of the body to maintain survival and living
of organism such as the human body. It caters
the process of transmitting oxygen as well as the
nutrients in all parts of the body, carried by blood
specifically the red blood cells. The pumping
organ compromised of contracting muscles that
sustain and ensure the circulation of blood on
each component of the body and overall
organism was the heart. Human heart works
jointly with massive channels of blood vessel
connected to organs, and tissues which
assembles the body supporting each bodily
 processes. In general, it acts as the key organ of
the cardiovascular- circulatory system
responsible for the transportation mechanism of
blood (Marieb, 2015)
Conversely, the liver plays a vital role into the
excretion process of waste material from the
body known as bile. As a matter of fact, the liver
consist of blood at a lesser percentage which it
jointly works with the blood since, it is responsible
for regulating substance such as amino acids on
the blood through breaking down and stabilizing
nutrients that are non-hazardous to the body. In
addition, the liver was also dependable for Iron
nutrients accumulation in hemoglobin found in
the blood required for the oxygen transportation.

3. What have you learned from watching the two videos?

As mankind continues to endeavors in achieving the endless progress, it uncovers
mystery, discovers the past which shaped how essential was curiosity and wisdom
allowing various fields of mathematics and sciences to conquer our physical world.
Ancient Civilization evidently made their prominent legacy on the modern society through
it series artifacts, customs, practices which deeply inclined to the evolution of the world
thresholds races and cultural roots. Prior to these patrimonies, such discoveries from the
ancient times remains instills on today society leading to emerging body of knowledge as
a foundation of diverse fields like astronomy, metrology, mathematics, and medicine.
Evidence on these various fields plays a vital role on ancient times whereas ancestors of
humanity highly optimized the benefits of nature and their minds leading into commitment
towards human and societal evolution.
Presently, the field of Medicine was recognized one of the ancestor’s greatest
innovation considerably, it was ancient times greatest masterpiece to shelter care
prolonging human lives. It is considerable a diverging field of fictions credence and
rational reasoning widely based on scientific and mathematical approaches to append
living. Ancient times adheres on the concept of medicine as an art of healing and human
health which serves as the foundation of the modern medical system. The continuous
efforts of mankind to endeavor enables the medical notion as a vital element to our
existence directing to venture of research and practices in providing treatment to
prevalent diseases as well as prevention. Reflecting on modern medical system, it
commonly revolves on technological approach whereas maximizing the knowledge and
skills in a futuristic approach in order to further understand the inner mechanism
correlating the body with external phenomena joint with a goal to produce scientific
products to extend living. However, we should hold on the root of this voyage in the
medical discipline that sparks change towards progression of humanity as a remark on
its bequest on history.
Retrospection on Ancient times, early civilization was able to alleviate their living and
apprehension to their physical environment allowing them to adapt and invent system
which shapes today’s world of innovation. Ancient Egyptians made a notable movement
on adaptation moving into advancement where they were able to cultivate living for
survival revolving to their vegetative land. Aside from this, they were able to accumulate
the principle art of healing in order to survive the everyday threats on their life. Egyptian
were strongly founded with their religious and cultural beliefs whereas they believed on
fictitious notions on living, prolong applied to their own emerging Ancient medical system.
Medical providers from Egyptian era drastically adhere into their religious belief, the
causes of disease where bad spirits, and other supernatural agents while it correlates
with incantation to their Gods and Goddesses for treatment. They were able to employ
an irrational approach of healing through magic and religious principles. Furthermore,
their medical remedies serve as vital concept that establish of Pharmocologia, maximizing
the natural possession enables them to devise medical tools and treatment using plants-
animal based substances. In addition, the birth of their Ancient writing process also
enables them to scribe and record medical practices in a medical papyrus which upon its
discovery, paved the way towards tracing roots of humanity and field-studies for
development of biology and medical conviction.
In contrary, another noble of humanity were Ancient Greek civilization unlocked new
gateways of perspective on humane existence whereas they introduced political,
philosophical, and scientific notion. Ancient Greek medical system was prominently an
inception of rational thinking of mankind whereas enabling them introduced the world into
a new voyage empowering human mind capabilities. Galen of Pergamon burning fervor
into medicine produce substantial contribution for the fundamental information on human
anatomy which was beneficial in studying the origin of disease occurring within the human
body. Moreover, he was able to instill the intuition on anatomy through a meticulous
documentation on his discovery. One of his contribution was he was able to distinguish
the functions of nerves in the body compromised with two types which are the motor and
sensory nerves. On top of that, He was also able to determine that the human brain
controls the body through the application of pressure on the brain of a cow
Jointly, these two ancient civilization also made its way into emerging discipline
including medicine that enables then to survive with a purpose of leaving a legacy for
humanity to continuously expand into a completely sensible way of living. Despite of the
fact that the Ancient Humanity made a significant contribution on modern day medicine,
the bodily product of their knowledge also displayed how tenaciously they were tied to
views of their society affecting their self-image and outlook on their wisdom whereas it
also brought misconception to a coherent apprehension on the human body and the field
of medicine. Based on the video, the Greek misconception tends to be influential
discovery since, it still became a foundation of medical books from various medical school
around the world. In particular, the concept of Four Humors introduced by Hippocrates,
describe four essential fluids within the body which serves as a basis of diagnosis if a
person is sick during the Greek Era. These fluid imbalances should be regulated and
stabilize causing Greek doctors to perform lethal approaches such bloodletting or purging
procedure. In addition, Galen also set forth into his discovery that the liver was the source
of blood. Analyzing the Ancient Times, human lives were undoubtedly relay on their
religious ways dealing with the illusion -supernatural beings as the central resource of
blessings and misfortune However, the constant force of medical students and nobles to
build an accurate insight to human anatomy and physiology enables them to determine
this discrepancies of the early conceptualization of biological treatment and methods.
Conversely, these misconceptions embedded within our shallow cognizance blinds us
into a passive learning mechanism and a closed mindedness of society. However, as
humanity inclined into the pure essence of discipline and knowledge, they were able to
create a significant breakthrough in shaping their future, into the present condition of
society. Science and Philosophical art jointly works hand in hand into manifest their vision
thus, creating new horizons for the essential legacy of mankind. This misconception may
be a burden considered to be a root cause of societal problem in areas of medicine but,
as scientific and humane intuition evolve we are able to actively establish a foundation of
knowledge through modifying and seeking new discoveries to prolonged establish the
power of scientific healing.
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