PHAR1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Ebers Papyrus, Prehistoric Medicine, Herbalism
Health and Medicine before the age of science:
What do we know about prehistoric medicine and pharmacology?
Not a lot.
Almost no forms of modern-day traditional medicine can be authoritatively linked to prehistoric
practice.
Diverse cultures all develop their own healing methods, including drug therapy
- Widely different due to differing beliefs and practices.
Truths about prehistoric medicine:
Since nineteenth century, modern medicine and pharmacy sought to associate itself with antiquity.
- Atiuit guaatees eliailit i ediie ad health??
- Shapes how we interpret prehistoric and early historical evidence.
Phsial/ahaeologial eidee doest eessail idiate ediie as e ko it.
- Influence of ideas about beauty, religion, commerce, politics?
Medicine as we know it is a modern construct based on the scientific method.
- The scientific method consists of organized efforts to come up with explanations of nature,
always modifying and correcting these through systematic observations.
- healing practices, elog to the pe-sietifi ea, ad aet ediie as we know it, not
based on scientific method
To get reliable comparisons, must go to recorded history, which is fragmented and only broad
generalizations are possible about early medicine.
Ancient Egypt (c3000-300BC)
- Earliest medical tradition related to Imhotep
- Ihoteps histoiit is ofied to isiptios ade i his lifetie o ase of oe of
pharaoh Djoses statues
Beliefs about drug therapy:
- The Ebers Papyrus contains herbal and magical remedies from common complaints
- Asthma – herbal smoke
- To force bowel movements; milk and grains cooked with honey
- Medicinal use of ochre clays; various intestinal and eye complaints
find more resources at oneclass.com
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- Yellow ochre is also described as a remedy for urological complaints
- 74 prescriptions of hair washes, dyes, oils and depilatories.
- Recipes for contraceptives and abortifacients.
- Recipes for household products for cleaning and protection of clothes against pests.
- Series of spells for health problems
- Most edial teatets ased o purging, body contains toxins which cause illness that have
to be removed.
Shamanism:
Shamanism; amulets, sacrifice, augury/prophecy, divination, cursing, advice, teaching, trances,
communication with animals or the dead
; common global practice
; combine physical and spiritual healer
Fertile Crescent civilizations:
- Sumerians
- Babylonians
- Persians
- Semites
Cultures and medical knowledge
- Clay tablets from collection in Nineveh includes medial codices
- Disease often blamed on pre-existing spirits
- Two types of healer: ashipu: diagnosed illness by determining what god or spirit was causing it,
o if it as aused eo o si o idiiduals pat
asu: dealt in herbal remedies, and carried out washing, bandaging and
making plasters
Identifying ancient drugs:
- Drugs compounded from plants (herbs, spices, leaves, flowers, bulbs), resins (gums from plants),
and minerals (soil, ground stones).
- Some drugs had poetic or allegorical names.
- Some plants have been identified: liquorice, mustard, myrhh, and opium.
Trouble with ancient drugs:
- Liquorice: gastric disorders
- Opium and myrhh: pain relief, sleep
- Easy to credit a culture with advanced knowledge of medicine through chance use of particular
drugs. Need to know how something works to use it effectively.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Health and medicine before the age of science: Almost no forms of modern-day traditional medicine can be authoritatively linked to prehistoric practice. Diverse cultures all develop their own healing methods, including drug therapy. Widely different due to differing beliefs and practices. Since nineteenth century, modern medicine and pharmacy sought to associate itself with antiquity. Shapes how we interpret prehistoric and early historical evidence. Ph(cid:455)si(cid:272)al/a(cid:396)(cid:272)haeologi(cid:272)al e(cid:448)ide(cid:374)(cid:272)e does(cid:374)(cid:859)t (cid:374)e(cid:272)essa(cid:396)il(cid:455) i(cid:374)di(cid:272)ate (cid:858)(cid:373)edi(cid:272)i(cid:374)e(cid:859) as (cid:449)e k(cid:374)o(cid:449) it. Medicine as we know it is a modern construct based on the scientific method. To get reliable comparisons, must go to recorded history, which is fragmented and only broad generalizations are possible about early medicine. I(cid:373)hotep(cid:859)s histo(cid:396)i(cid:272)it(cid:455) is (cid:272)o(cid:374)fi(cid:396)(cid:373)ed (cid:271)(cid:455) t(cid:449)o i(cid:374)s(cid:272)(cid:396)iptio(cid:374)s (cid:373)ade i(cid:374) his lifeti(cid:373)e o(cid:374) (cid:271)ase of o(cid:374)e of pharaoh djose(cid:396)(cid:859)s statues. The ebers papyrus contains herbal and magical remedies from common complaints. Medicinal use of ochre clays; various intestinal and eye complaints. To force bowel movements; milk and grains cooked with honey.
