Post by Mr Modica on Sept 26, 2015 20:19:59 GMT
The Greeks had gods for everything. The god of healing was called Asclepius and he had temples of healing called Asclepions. People who are ill come to the Asclepion to pray for a cure (they believed that illness was a punishment) and first of all give offerings and sacrifices to the gods. They would wash in the tholos and sleep in a temple called an abaton overnight where snakes would slither over their bodies and cure them.
The Greeks used natural as well as supernatural cures. One of their logical cures was the Theory of the Four Humours, invented by Hippocrates. The Greeks believed the four elements that make up the world were linked to the four seasons and the four liquids in the body. When the humours were balanced in the body you were well, but when the humours were unbalanced you would become ill. Doctors tried remove excess humours to balance the person. Doctors encouraged a balance of everything in life and began to encourage basic personal hygiene.
Four Humours, their characteristics and illnesses:
- yellow bile – hot and dry – fevers and vomiting
- blood – hot and wet – dysentery, nose bleeds
- phlegm – cold and wet – sneezing and colds
- black bile – cold and dry – dry skin and vomiting
Hippocrates began to invent rational ideas on medicine, rather than supernatural. He invented the Hippocratic Oath, which said that doctors should treat their patients with respect, something that is still used today. The Hippocratic Corpus are a collection of books attributed to Hippocrates, although they weren’t all written by him. He explained the importance of observing patients and recording everything. He invented and used the Theory of the Four Humours to explain disease. He founded a medical school on Kos and only allowed operations if the patient had a good chance of survival.
Surgery in Greek times involved iron and steel instruments. Operations were mostly done on the skin, not inside the body, with the exception of draining the lungs if the patient had pneumonia.
The Greeks were able to improve medicine because they were rich and so rich people had the time and money for education. The Greeks became famous for their thinking on things, e.g. philosophy and maths. Their trading also brought new ideas from abroad. Doctors also encouraged observation and recording symptoms and cures. Doctors recorded everything a patient did, including hiccupping. The Greeks also used the medical school at Alexandria, which they had conquered from the Egyptians. At Alexandria, there was a library and medical school and the doctors were allowed to perform human dissections.
Make sure this is just the basis for your revision, using your class notes too!
www.springwoodgcsehistory.blogspot.co.uk/p/medicine-through-time-overview.html
The Greeks used natural as well as supernatural cures. One of their logical cures was the Theory of the Four Humours, invented by Hippocrates. The Greeks believed the four elements that make up the world were linked to the four seasons and the four liquids in the body. When the humours were balanced in the body you were well, but when the humours were unbalanced you would become ill. Doctors tried remove excess humours to balance the person. Doctors encouraged a balance of everything in life and began to encourage basic personal hygiene.
Four Humours, their characteristics and illnesses:
- yellow bile – hot and dry – fevers and vomiting
- blood – hot and wet – dysentery, nose bleeds
- phlegm – cold and wet – sneezing and colds
- black bile – cold and dry – dry skin and vomiting
Hippocrates began to invent rational ideas on medicine, rather than supernatural. He invented the Hippocratic Oath, which said that doctors should treat their patients with respect, something that is still used today. The Hippocratic Corpus are a collection of books attributed to Hippocrates, although they weren’t all written by him. He explained the importance of observing patients and recording everything. He invented and used the Theory of the Four Humours to explain disease. He founded a medical school on Kos and only allowed operations if the patient had a good chance of survival.
Surgery in Greek times involved iron and steel instruments. Operations were mostly done on the skin, not inside the body, with the exception of draining the lungs if the patient had pneumonia.
The Greeks were able to improve medicine because they were rich and so rich people had the time and money for education. The Greeks became famous for their thinking on things, e.g. philosophy and maths. Their trading also brought new ideas from abroad. Doctors also encouraged observation and recording symptoms and cures. Doctors recorded everything a patient did, including hiccupping. The Greeks also used the medical school at Alexandria, which they had conquered from the Egyptians. At Alexandria, there was a library and medical school and the doctors were allowed to perform human dissections.
Make sure this is just the basis for your revision, using your class notes too!
www.springwoodgcsehistory.blogspot.co.uk/p/medicine-through-time-overview.html