By: Myka Villegas
Medicine: the science that focuses on the prevention, easing, or curing of a disease. Moreover, it consists of compounds and chemicals that allow healing and curing to happen. In present day society, you get prescribed medication from your local physicians and pharmacists. However, the medical industry needed to advance to its current state. How much did it change? Did it get worse or better? What aspects are the medical industry trying to improve on? Will it get better from here?
Previously, humans did not think of diseases as natural phenomenons. Colds and constipation however were cured with herbal remedies as they were available during this time period. Yet, serious and concerning diseases were believed to be from a supernatural origin.
- One of the methods to allow the believed to get rid of itself from its host was to make a hole in the body that was 3.5 to 5 cm across in the skull. This is the practice of trepanning/trephining.
- Bloodletting. A process where the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians cut open a vein of the patient and drain some of their vital fluids into a receptacle. This was to restore bodily harmony.
- Mercury is really toxic. Yet, it was used by the ancient Persians and Greeks as a useful ointment. They believed that Mercury (Hg) and red mercury sulfide (HgS) have the ability to increase human lifespan. Moreover, with the brewing of mercury, sulfur, and arsenic, they believed their patient would gain eternal life and the ability to walk on water. Furthermore, mercury was popular to be able to prevent STI’s like syphilis. Although there was a success in fighting off its infection, patients often died from liver and kidney issues due to its poisoning.
- Animal Dung Ointments were also a big thing, where ancient Egyptians used animals and food to cure diseases. This includes lizard blood, dead mice, and moldy bread. Also, they used animal and human excrements to cure-all remedy for diseases and injuries.
- Lasty, Cannibal Cures. Back in the days, if you were suffering from unbearable headaches, cramping, and ulcers? The doctors during this time would prescribe an elixir with the contents including human flesh, blood, or bone, This was known as “corpse medicine” and was a disturbing practice for centuries.
Although human medicine was quite jurassic. Doing so much damage to heal diseases and infections. To ease their pains. They could not do much as there was not a bunch of information during these times. However, throughout time, many learned from these and grew the medicine industry which allows us to create new ways in easing and curing these phenomena we have.
- Vaccines came to be in 1796. This became a new normal for us. However, an attempt from Edward Jenner used inoculations to control the smallpox virus during this time. After this instance, vaccines grew to become a big thing. Various vaccines came to be with different purposes such as for HIV and COVID19.
- Anaesthesia came in 1846. Before the use of general anesthesia, surgery was the very last option for patients. This allowed patients to choose death rather than enduring the pain they will go through under the process. William T.G Morton successfully used ether as an anesthetic during one of his surgeries. Later on, Chloroform, a fast acting substance became widely used, thus being high-risk after many instances occurred. However, there have been safer anesthetics made allowing many lives to be saved in harmless operations.
- Antibiotics in 1928. Penicillin, developed by Alexander Flemings, revolutionized a war against a dangerous bacteria. This was also considered an explanation to why Egyptians practiced applying moldy bread to wounds.
- Organ Transplants, founded in 1954. Dr. Joseph Murray and Dr David Hyme in Boston, USA successfully performed a kidney transplant. This became a turning point when various issues overcame this one the first of many years it worked. This leads to livers, pancreas, and hearts being transplanted to one's body.
- Artificial Intelligence in the 21st century became a really big thing over the years. AI has produced many impressive technologies that have impacted the healthcare landscape. Many big technology companies like Google and Apple emerged AI start-ups to help patients deal with diseases and care for patients. Although AI is still pretty fresh in the medicine and healthcare world, it will just advance from here. In some cases, it has reached a point where it can diagnose a disease, and drug discovery to personalize a treatment plan, patient monitoring, and chatbots.
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