Educational Narration - Evolution of Modern Medicine
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EnglishVoice Age
Middle Aged (35-54)Transcript
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the Evolution of Modern Medicine, by William Osler 18 49 to 1919 The Greek doctrine of the four humors colored all the conceptions of disease. Upon their harmony alone, it was thought that health depended. The four temperaments, sanguine, phlegmatic, violists and melancholic corresponded with the prevalence of these humors. The body was composed of certain so called natural seven in number. The elements, the temperaments, the humors, the members or parts, the virtues or faculties, the operations or functions and the spirits certain non natural, nine in number, preserved the health of the body. Air, food and drink, movement and repose, sleeping and waking. Excretion and retention and the passions disease was due, usually to alterations in the composition of the humors, and the indications for treatment were in accordance with these doctrines. They were to be evacuated, attenuated, cooled, heated, urged or strengthened. This you moral doctrine prevailed throughout the Middle Ages and reached far into modern times. Indeed, echoes of it are still to be heard in popular conversations on the nature of disease. Arabians were famous for their vigour and resource in matters of treatment. Leading was the first resort in a large majority of all diseases. In the practice of Ferrari, there is scarcely a malady for which it is not recommended. All remedies were directed to the regulation of of six non Natural, and they either preserved health, cured the disease or did the opposite. The most popular medicines were derived from the vegetable kingdom, and, as they were chiefly those recommended by Galen, they were and still are called by his name. Many important mineral medicines were introduced by the Arabians, particularly mercury, antimony, iron, etcetera. There were, in addition, scores of substances, the parts of products of animals, some harmless, other solitary, others again useless and disgusting. Minor surgery was in the hands of the barbers who performed all the minor operations such as bleeding. The more important operations, few in number, were performed by surgeons.