History of Medicine

& Alternative Medicine

DR KARUNA SREE P
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY
ESIC MEDICAL COLLEGE
 Contents
 History of ancient medicine
Prehistoric era

Health issues
Primitive & Ancient Societies

 History of modern medicine

 Alternative Medicine
Dr Karuna Sree
 History of ancient medicine

Dr Karuna Sree
 Long before humans were on earth,

there was disease

Dr Karuna Sree
 This prehistoric bear claw reveals arthritis on
distal phalanges

Bony lipping at
interphalangeal
joints indicates
arthritis

Dr Karuna Sree
 Animals often retreated to
caves to die & that is where
many bony remains were
found.
Arthritic bones were so
common that archeologists
began to refer to prehistoric
arthritis as cave gout
Dr Karuna Sree
 Prehistoric Neanderthal Man

•Excavation & reconstruction of

skeletal remains revealed:
a stooped, rounded-shouldered,
skeleton with curved spine & bent
knees.

Dr Karuna Sree
 Early speculation by anthropologists:

AH-HA!!!
A gorilla-type man…
THE MISSING LINK!

Dr Karuna Sree
 Scientists now think Neanderthal Man’s
stooped stature to be that of a man with
osteoporosis & advanced arthritis.

Dr Karuna Sree
 Primitive people were superstitious & believed
illness was caused by
Invasion of evil spirits
Supernatural forces

Dr Karuna Sree
 Check Point
1. What existed long before humans
were on earth?
a. Java bear
b. Disease
c. Evil spirits
d. Herpes

Dr Karuna Sree
 Check Point cont.

2. Prehistoric arthritis was so common that

archeologists referred to it as:
a. Bear fever
b. Bony calluses
c. Cave gout
d. Field fasciitis
Dr Karuna Sree
 Check Point cont.

3. Early speculation of Neanderthal man’s

skeletal remains was that he:
a. had arthritis
b. had a broken back
c. was an aberrant primate
d. was the “missing link” .
Dr Karuna Sree
 Disease &
PREHISTORIC MAN
Archeological evidence revealed prehistoric man
suffered from:
Tuberculosis & parasite infestations
Under calcified bones (osteoporosis)
Caries (decayed teeth)
Eroded teeth from pyorrhea (discharge
of pus from inflamed gums)
Skeletal fractures
Dr Karuna Sree
 Health Issues for
PREHISTORIC WOMEN
Archeological evidence revealed prehistoric
woman had much shorter lifespan than men.
Most common reason for early death:
difficult
childbirth
Also had weakened immune systems
birthing & nursing children
best food for men & boys since they would be
leaders, hunters, & warriors
Dr Karuna Sree
 Therapeutic techniques used by
ancient healers/shaman

Praying
Chanting
Hallucinogenic
trances

Dr Karuna Sree
 Ancient medicinal tools of the trade

Facial & body paints

 to
scare away evil spirits
Wood splints for injuries
Casts from hardened hide for
fractures
Bone needles to sew
lacerations(used strips of
animal tendon as thread)
Dr Karuna Sree
 Examples of good
medicine!

Frightening or cajoling evil spirits out of its

victim
–(then casting offending spirit to vermin or
cockroach & stomping on it)
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 Trepanation (drilling hole in head)
-to treat headaches and odd behavior

treatment was thought to “release evil spirits”

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 Sucking &
vomiting

– “doctor” blew tobacco smoke over patient

– then gulp in large amounts of smoke until he/she
became nauseated
– began sucking on patient’s chest (to remove evil
spirit)
– vomit to purge evil, then bury vomit

Dr Karuna Sree
 Besides healing, shamans were also
responsible for warding off
All potential catastrophes
bad weather
unyielding crops
unsuccessful hunts

enemy warriors

Dr Karuna Sree
 Medicine & Primary Ancient
Societies

Dr Karuna Sree
 The Egyptians
3150 BC

1st to keep accurate

written health records

Dr Karuna Sree
 Ancient Egyptians practiced:

• Bloodletting
• Monthly purging
• Making prosthetic
devices
• Embalming

Dr Karuna Sree
 Prosthetic, wood & leather “great toe” found
on foot of Egyptian mummy

Dr Karuna Sree
 Surgeons in ancient Egypt were both priests &
doctors, blending ritual with medicine

Preparing for surgery

Dr Karuna Sree
 Ancient India
3300 BC

• Charaka

• Sushrutha

Dr Karuna Sree
 • Detected diabetes by smelling & tasting
urine (for sweetness)

Dr Karuna Sree
• Practiced surgical
procedures such as:
–hernia repairs
–amputations
–C-sections
–Cosmetic surgery
to nose, earlobes,
& harelips
Dr Karuna Sree
 Drawing of plastic surgery--
flap to replace nose

Dr Karuna Sree
 Check Point
 Name one medical practice of Ancient
Egyptians.

 How did Ancient Indians check for

diabetes?.

 Name one surgical procedure used by

the Ancient Indians.
Dr Karuna Sree
 Ancient China
15 Century BC

Dr Karuna Sree
Illness still seen as violation of a god.
Male doctors didn’t directly examine
women.
used ivory dolls

–women would use doll & point to

“problem” area
Dr Karuna Sree
• Also used acupuncture to treat ailments
Idea behind acupuncture - stimulating energy points
with needles/pressure relieved obstructions enabling
body to heal.

Dr Karuna Sree
• Ancient Chinese used variety herbs were
to treat diseases
Ancient Chinese Herb Pharmacy Ginseng – reduces stress

Rhubarb – body strength

Licorice – muscle spasms

Ginger – treats diarrhea

Peony – regulates blood

Salvia – relieves pain of
Dr Karuna Sree
inflammation
Many Chinese herbs were prepared as teas

Dr Karuna Sree
 Check Point

Which of the following practices was commonly

used in Ancient China?

a. Water therapy
b. Acupuncture
c. few herb extract
d. Sucking & vomiting

Dr Karuna Sree
 Prehistoric medicinal herbs

Dr Karuna Sree
 Treatment for failing heart

Foxglove Plant
Drug: digitalis
-strengthens &
slows heart

Dr Karuna Sree
 Treatment that stops bleeding & acts
as disinfectant

Birch Fungus
-a laxative when
ingested

blue-grey.blogspot.com

Dr Karuna Sree
 Treatment of toothaches & oral infections

Peek-a-boo plant
-also known as the
“toothache plant”

Chewed leaves or flower head which numbs

tongue & mouth
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 Treatment for malaria

Bark of Cinchona
(sin-kO-nah) tree
Drug: Quinine

-used for malaria’s fever &

muscle spasms
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 Treatment for relief of severe pain

Opium poppy

Drug: Morphine
-highly addictive

Dr Karuna Sree
 Treatment for spastic colon, gastric
ulcers, and slow heart rate
Belladonna Plant
(Deadly Nightshade plant)

Drug: Atropine
ancient women used it to
dilate eyes—thought it
made them look beautiful
Dr Karuna Sree
 Check Point
Birch fungus was used to:
a. scare away evil spirits
b. disinfect a wound
c. stop bleeding
d. thin blood .

Dr Karuna Sree
 History Of
Modern Medicine

Dr Karuna Sree
 Significant Contributions
to Medicine
Hippocrates in the physician
frequently recalled from the
Greek culture.

His writing s have contributed

much to today’s culture.

He is remembered for his well

known Hippocratic Oath, which
establishes guidelines for a
physician’s practice.
Hippocrates
(c.460 B.C. – 377 ZB.C.
Dr Karuna Sree
 The
Hippocratic
Oath

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

 Girolamo Fracastoro – theory about

invisible germs that spread and cause
diseases

Through direct contact, via objects, ability

to spread far from the source

Refutes Galen’s "miasm theory” (poisonous

air and fumes)

Dr Karuna Sree
 Girolamo Fracastoro
"De contagione et contagiosis
morbis“ in 1543 – claims that germs
multiply, are poisonous, could be
destroyed by fire

Recommends regular body hygene,

clean environment, water and food
sanitation, disinfection

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

 At the end of 15th century and in

16th c. – new epidemic in Europe
– syphilis

In Italy, Spain…

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

Microscope discovery
Antony van Leeuwenhoek in 1670

Dr Karuna Sree
 Antony von Leeuwenhoek
Leeuwenhoek analyzed blood, saliva, bones, muscles,
human eye lens, etc.
Achieved magnification up to 40-160 times, later up
to 270 times

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

In 18th c. doctor from Slovenia Marko Anton Plenčić

supports the theory about small living creatures which
cause communicable diseases

He hypothesized that different creature causes different,

specific disease

Described human immunity, susceptibility, incubation,

disease carriers, some diseases (scarlet fever, variola)

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

At the end of 18th c.

British doctor Edward
Jenner
noticed that women who
milk cows often get cow
pox (much more benign
than smallpox) and never
get smallpox, as a
consequence

Dr Karuna Sree
 Edward Jenner
After 20 years of
observation –
experiment on 8yrs
old boy James Phipps

Published a book about

vaccination in 1798
(vacca=cow)

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights
Only in 19th century bacteria have been discovered
Pollender discovered one of the largest bacteria -
anthrax in the blood of dead animals

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

Louis Pasteur – foundations for modern

theory about causes of communicable
diseases
 discovered yeasts
 introduced pasteurization for wine and
milk

Dr Karuna Sree
 Louis Pasteur

Investigated other pathogenic

microorganisms
Created vaccine to immnunize rats against
anthrax
In 1881. discovered streptococcus and
staphylococcus bacteria

In 1885 L. Pasteur introduced vaccination

against Rabies
Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights
During 19th c. in England – great cholera epidemic

John Snow – a doctor particularly interested in this

epidemics in 1854 creates hypothesis that cholera was
transmitted via water

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

1882 Robert Koch discovered M.

tuberculosis

1890 discovered tuberculin, first

considered cure, later became diagnostic
tool
 TB was a pandemic at the end of 19th c. due to
poor social and economic conditions

Koch also investigated other

microorganisms: cholera, plague, malaria,
typhus, amoebiasis
Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

At the end of 19th c. Koch and Pasteur

formed new discipline - Microbiology

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 History of medicine - highlights

Beginning of 20th c. – discovery of viruses

1908 - Karl Landsteiner - poliomyelitis virus
1912 - Wilhelm Grueter – herpes virus

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 History of medicine - highlights

In 1907 Paul Erlich introduced

chemotherapy
(chemicals that selectively destroy
microorganisms, without causing
damage to the host)

1923 – systematic prophylactic BCG

vaccine

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

1928 Alexander Fleming accidental

finding that the presence of moulds
blocked coccus culture growth

Penicillium notatum - penicillin

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 History of medicine - highlights
Only from 1940s penicillin was applied during
WWII against coccus bacteria, C. diphtheriae,
anthrax, tetanus
Over following years – discoveries of other
antibiotics, most important was streptomycin
(Selman A. Waksman – coined term antibiotic)

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

Discovery of microorganisms,
antibiotics and vaccines – led to
disappearance of fatal epidemics of
the past

Further progress in medicine, social

sciences, technology and economy -
led to increased life expectancy in
wealthy populations, and change in
morbidity and mortality patterns

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

During middle of 20th c. – increase in cardiovascular diseases

morbidity and mortality in developed countries
Leading causes of death, accompanied with cancers and
accidents (traffic)

Dr Karuna Sree
 History of medicine - highlights

Second half of 20th c. research topics:

- Oral antidiabetic therapy
- Ionizing radiation and leukaemia
- Sacharin and bladder carcinoma
- Thalidomide effects
- Estrogen supplementation and endometrial cancer, and
breast cancer
- Passive smoking
- HIV/AIDS
- Risk factors for accidents
……….

Dr Karuna Sree
 Alternative Medicine

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is

the term commonly used to describe a broad range
of healing philosophies, approaches and therapies
that focus on the whole person including
biopsychosocial and spiritual aspect.

Dr Karuna Sree
Dr Karuna Sree
 Alternative medical Systems

• Acupuncture
• Ayurveda
• Homeopathy
• Naturopathic medicine

Dr Karuna Sree
 First medical college – India, Kolkata

Dr Karuna Sree
 The journey never ends…
CONTINUES

Dr Karuna Sree
Dr Karuna Sree