History & Trends in

Health Care

TPJ 3M

Academy 2010

Ancient Times

Disease and illness caused by evil spirits and demons, punishments from the gods,

Treatments tried to eliminate the evil spirits, religious rites were used to restore health

Exploring the human body was difficult because most religions did not allow dissection

Egyptians

First to keep health records – kept by priests and written on stone

Chinese

Strong belief in the need to cure the spirit and nourish the body

Holistic health stressing the entire patient; body, mind and soul

Greeks

Hippocrates (ca 430-377 BC) – “The father of medicine”- kept records. These records helped establish that disease is caused by natural causes NOT supernatural spirits or demons

First to stress good diet and cleanliness to help prevent disease

Romans

Realised that some diseases were connected with filth, contaminated water and poor sanitation

Created sanitation systems, built sewers, aquaducts Drained marshland to reduce malaria Implemented laws to keep streets clean and eliminate garbage

Dark Ages

After the fall of the Roman empire the study of medicine stopped

Individuals again lived in unsanitary conditions Little or no personal hygiene Epidemics arose; smallpox, dysentry, typhus, bubonic plague

Middle Ages

Renewed interest in medical practices of the Greeks and Romans

Handwritten records were kept Medical universities arose (9th century) Arabic states began to train and expect physicians to pass

exams to obtain licences

1300s

75% of the population of Europe and Asia died of Bubonic plague

Smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria killed many others

Average lifespan – 20-35 years Infant mortality was high

The Renaissance (1350-1650 AD)

The “rebirth of science and medicine” Dissection of human corps was allowed and was the

source of much of the new knowledge Artists; Michelangelo and da Vinci were able to draw

the human body accurately Development of printing presses allowed for

publications of medical books Knowledge spread more rapidly Physicians were more educated

The 16th – 18th centuries

William Harvey – circulation of blood Gabriel Fallopius- tympanic membrane in the ear

and the fallopian tube Bartolomeo Eustachio – tube connecting ear and

throat Anton van Leeuwenhoek – created the microscope Edward Jenner- Smallpox vaccine Lifespan- 40-50 years

Industrial Revolution- The 19th century

Major progress because of the development of machines and the access to books

Rene Naennec – invented the stethoscope Florence Nightingale – established sanitary nursing

units for soldiers injured in the Crimean war (founder of modern nursing)

Theodor Fliedner, Joseph Lister and Louis Pasteur were created systems to reduce the spread of tiny microorganisms that caused disease

Lifespan- 40-65 years

Louis Pasteur

Stopped milk and wine from causing sickness- pasteurization

Vaccine for rabies and anthrax Rabies vaccine was first used on

9-year old Joseph Meister, on July 6, 1885, after the boy was badly mauled by a rabid dog.

20th century

Rapid growth of health care New machines; x-ray New medicines; insulin for diabetes, antibiotics to

fight infection, vaccines to prevent disease, Cause of disease was identified Watson and Crick described the structure of DNA Health care plans helped cover medical costs Surgery techniques were improved and less fatal Lifespan- 60-80 years

21st century

Tell me what you’ve heard about……