The History of

Medicine

B. Rudy Utantio
 Primitive Times

Believed that illness and diseases

were a punishment from the Gods
First physicians were witch doctors
who treated illness with ceremonies
 Primitive Times

Herbs and plants were used as medicine

examples:
– Foxglove plants leaves
were chewed to strengthen
& slow heart
– Now given by pills, IV, or injections
Trepanation

 One of the first

surgeries
 A hole was cut into
the skull to release
demons
 Trepanning
 Primitive man believed that headaches was the work
of evil spirits who invaded the body of unfortunate
individuals.

 Letting the spirits out of the skull would bring relief.

Thus, the ‘surgical’ procedure trepanning was born.
 Imhotep
 Imhotep lived in Egypt ~
2900 BC;
 He seems to have been a
successful physician.
 He is one of the first
medical men whose
name is on record and
became known as the
God of Medicine.
 He began using simple
surgery instead of just
magic.
 Egyptians
First to keep accurate health records
Wrote prescriptions on papyrus
Physicians were priests
Temples were used as
places of worships,
medical schools, and
hospitals
 Ebers papyrus – oldest
collection of medical
writings ~1600 BC

•covered 200 diseases

•extracted medicine from
plants
•knew position of vital organs
•circulation of blood
 Egyptians (3000 BC- 300 BC)

 Embalming led to
increased understanding of
anatomy and diseases
 Was done by special
priests, not doctor priests
 Gauze used to wrap
bodies is much like the
surgical gauze used today
 Strong antiseptics kept
bodies from decaying
Egyptians (3000 BC- 300 BC)

 Leeches would be use for

bloodletting (draining human
blood)
 Does not hurt because their saliva
contains a natural anesthetic
 Their saliva also contains a blood
thinner, a vasodilator, and an
agent that prevents bacteria from
infecting the wound
 FDA has recently approved use of
leeches as a medical treatment.
 The Two Great Names in the
History of Greek Medicine
Hippocrates and Galen
 Hippocrates - dominated the beginning
of scientific creativity, lasted more
than 700 years.
 He was the first to attempt to separate
the practice of medicine from religion
and superstition.
 Hippocrates taught against such
improper conduct. He told his students
to treat everyone the same.
 Galen Described wounds
as “Windows to the Body”
 Galen, the great 2nd century
physician and anatomist, spent
his early medical career as a
surgeon to the gladiators.
 He employed as many as 20
scribes to write down all that he
said in during his work.
 He dissected animals in his
medical research.
 He thought that infections were
caused by clouds of poisonous
gases.
Ancient Chinese
(1700 BC–AD 220)
 Religion prohibited
dissection
 Believed you had to treat
both the body and spirit
 Recorded a
pharmacopoeia of
medications based on
herbs
 Therapies included
acupuncture
Greeks (1200 BC –200 BC)

 Made observations
about the human body
and the effects of
disease that led to
modern medical
sciences
 Believed illness is a
result of natural
causes
Greeks (1200 BC –200 BC)

 Used therapies such

as massage, art
therapy and herbal
treatments
 Discovered that diet
and cleanliness could
prevent disease
Romans (753 BC – AD 410)
 They established
the first public
health and
sanitation systems
by building sewers
and aqueducts
 Treated disease
with diet, exercise,
and medication
 Romans (753 BC – AD 410)
 Rooms in doctors houses
where they cared for
solders became the first
hospitals
 Believed body was
regulated by 4 humors that
had to stay balanced to
prevent illness (blood,
phlegm, black bile, and
yellow bile)
Dark Ages (AD 400 – AD 800)
Study of
medicine was
prohibited
Emphasis was on
saving the soul
Monks and
priests treated
patients with
prayer
 Middle Ages
(AD 800 –AD 1400)
 Bubonic Plague killed
75% of the population
in Europe and Asia
 Medical Universities
were created
 There was renewed
interest in medical
practices of the Greek
and Romans
Middle Ages (AD 800 –AD 1400)
 Arab physicians
used chemistry to
advance
pharmacology

 Arabs begin
requiring
physicians to pass
examinations and
obtain licenses
Renaissance (AD 1350–AD 1650)
 Dissection of the body
led to an increased
understanding of
anatomy and physiology
 Invention of the printing
press allowed medical
knowledge to be shared.
 First anatomy book by
Andreas Vesalius, was
published
16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries
 Invention of the
microscope in 1666
allowed doctors to
see disease-causing
organisms
 Apothecaries led to
development of
pharmacies
 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries

Edward Jenner developed the first

vaccination to prevent the spread of
smallpox in 1796
19th Century
 Formal training for
nurses led by Florence
Nightingale began
 Infection control
methods were developed
once microorganisms
were associated with
disease
20th Century
 Gained an increased knowledge about the
role of blood in the body:
 ABO blood groups discovered
 Determined how white blood cells protect against
disease
 20th Century
  New medicines were
developed:
– Insulin to treat diabetes
– Antibiotics to fight
infections caused by
bacteria
– Vaccines to prevent
people from getting
diseases caused by
viruses
Treatment of Medicine

General Specialized
(GP in FKTP - Fellowship
FasKes 1) Subspecialized
(Therapy, Surgery)
 20 th Century
 New machines were
developed:
– Kidney dialysis
machine
– Heart lung
machine
– Computerized
axial tomography
(CAT) scan
20 th Century
 Surgical and diagnostic
techniques were
developed to cure once
fatal conditions:
 Organ transplants
 Limbs reattached
 Test tube babies
 Amniocentesis
 Implanted first artificial
heart
Technology and the 20th/21st
Century(Medicines)
 Antiseptics
 Antibiotics
 Antiepileptics
 Antipsychotics
 Chemotherapies
 Myoclonal Antibodies
 Vaccines
 Biologic Agents
Technology and the 20th/21st
Century(Evaluative Procedures)
 Electron Microscope
 CT Scans
 MRI Scans
 MRA Scans
 Pet Scans
 Functional MRI
 The Human Genome
 Genetic Testing
 Genetic Enzyme Replacements Therapy
 20 th Century
 Health care plans
developed to help pay the
cost of health care
 Medicare and Medicaid
marked the entry of the
federal government into
the health care arena
 HMO’s provided an
alternative to private
insurance
 Hospice was organized
BPJS = Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial
The End