By Adisa Nicholson Page 1

History of Medicine
My extended project is about the history of medicine. Its aim is to question how medicine has
developed over the past hundreds of years, and highlight the recent medical breakthroughs which
have happened. I have decided to choose this project as it allows me to highlight how privileged we
are to have the treatment options we have today.

In developed countries like the UK, illness is something which is out of the ordinary and is expected
to be eradicated with a quick cure. Whereas in developing countries, it is a way of life, where good
health is a dream. Western societies are concerned about prevention of diseases, such as the biggest
killer being heart disease by lifestyle changes, immunisations, and health precautions (handling
food); then comes symptoms, then a diagnosis then a treatment.

The Health and Medical Service sector is the biggest employer and spender in any industry.

The quest for treating illnesses goes back to the Stone Age; starting with brain surgery. In the Stone
Age, this was used to treat headaches, epilepsy, and mental illness. It was painful and did not work,
although this was thought to be successful, it carried on up to the 16th century in Europe. They also
used herbs and other plants in order to discover which plants had medicinal effects.