Patterns of Change in Health and Medicine

• Health and Medicine in the Middle Ages

  • Medieval Medicine: Based on Ancient Greek theories, particularly the four humours (blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm). Illnesses were believed to be caused by imbalances among the humours.
• Health and Medicine in the Middle Ages

  • Treatments:
  • Bleeding: Cutting the patient to let them bleed.
  • Cupping: Heated metal cups on the skin to draw fluids.
  • Leeching: Using leeches to draw blood or fluids.
  • Amputation: Cutting off limbs.
• Health and Medicine in the Middle Ages

  • Common Diseases: Typhoid, leprosy, smallpox, dysentery, and influenza. Poor diets and lack of hygiene increased susceptibility to illness and infection. Childbirth was dangerous due to blood loss and infection.
  • Herbal Medicines: Commonly used.
  • Monasteries: Often functioned as the first hospitals.
• The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)

  • Impact: Killed at least one-third of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1350.
  • Transmission: Carried by fleas on rats, symptoms included oozing swellings, discolored skin, and phlegm-filled lungs.
  • Contagion: Spread via sneezing, spitting, and contact with dead bodies. Mortality rate was 70-80% within a week.
  • Beliefs: Many thought it was caused by God’s anger or blamed outsiders like Jews or Moors.
• The Impact of the Black Death

  • Societal Change: Decline in serfdom as many serfs left manors for towns, leading to better treatment for remaining peasants.
  • Medical Practice: Doctors began to question their methods, leading to changes during the Renaissance.
• Medicine During the Renaissance

  • Anatomy: Andreas Vesalius investigated anatomy and wrote "On the Structure of the Human Body," aided by the Printing Press for wide dissemination.
  • Dissections: Helped understand human anatomy. William Harvey discovered the heart pumped blood around the body.
  • Surgical Improvements: Advances in anatomy led to better surgical methods.
• Twentieth-Century Medicine

  • Life Expectancy: Increased due to medical discoveries and inventions.
• Medical Discoveries

  • 1910: Histamine discovered; Antihistamines treat allergies.
  • 1912: Discovery of Vitamins; identified levels needed to avoid deficiencies like scurvy and rickets.
  • 1921: Insulin discovered for treating diabetes.
  • 1928: Penicillin, the first antibiotic, discovered by Alexander Fleming.
  • 1953: Discovery of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), understanding genetics.
• Medical Inventions

  • 1798: Vaccination developed by Edward Jenner; eradicated smallpox.
  • 1853: Endoscope allows internal body viewing.
  • 1914: Portable X-Ray Machine improved by Marie Curie, used in WWI.
  • 1956: Ultrasound for internal scans and monitoring pregnancies.
  • 1960: Hormonal Contraception (the Pill), gave women control over fertility.
  • 1967: CT Scan for detailed internal images.
• Later Medical Inventions

  • 1977: MRI for detailed organ and tissue images.
  • 1978: In vitro fertilization (IVF) for assisting pregnancies.
• Surgical Advances

  • Blood Types: Discovery before WWI enabled blood transfusions.
  • Skin Grafts and Plastic Surgery: Advanced in the 20th century, particularly for war injuries.
  • Transplant Surgery: First kidney transplant in 1954, first heart transplant in 1967.
  • Laser and Keyhole Surgery: Less invasive, reducing infection risk and recovery time.