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History of medicine
All human societies possess medical beliefs that give clarifications for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, disease has been attributed to witchcraft, devils, adverse astral power, or the spirit of the gods. These ideas still maintain some power, with faith healing and shrines still applied in some places, although the increase of scientific medicine over the past millennium has changed many of the old beliefs. Medicine Through Time:Ancient Egyptian MedicineThe Ancient Egyptians, such as the Ancient Greeks and Romans, have provided present historians with an immense deal of knowledge and evidence about their attitude on medicine and the medical knowledge that they acquired. This evidence has come from the various papyruses found in archaeological searches.Ancient Greek MedicineAncient Greece was much unlike to the Greece of nowadays. In Ancient Times Greece was a collection of City States. Each of these was autonomous from the others but shared a similar culture and religious beliefs. In spite of the lack of a coherent government the Greeks built a society that matched, if not improved, that of the Ancient Egyptians.Ancient Roman MedicineThe Ancient Romans, as the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Egyptians, made a huge input into medicine and health, though their contribution was principally concerned with public health schemes. Though the Roman "discoveries" may not have been in the field of pure medicine, poor hygiene by persons was a regular source of disease, so any improvement in public health was to have a main impact on society.History of Medicine 1919 to 1939The years 1919 to 1939 observed many important advances in the history of medicine. World War One had acted as a motivation for medical progress which had prolonged post-war. The same was exact for the period after World War Two.Many advances had been completed to 1919 but knowledge on how germs produced infections and illness, did not imply that society possessed cures available. At the end of World War One, 18 million persons in Europe died of flu – scientists knew what caused flu but possessed no cure for it. Better public health schemes existed in Britain but many of the poor in society were inadequately affected by illnesses associated with lack of basic hygiene. |