History of Medicine and The Human Body

History of Medicine and the Human Body.

This art and/or science goes a long way in determining a lot of things in the activities of man. This is why, in this article, we'll be discussing the history of this highly revered science concerning the human body.

Truth be told, we can't talk about the medicine of today without the full understanding of its history and evolution over time.

In a similar vein, it is virtually impossible to separate this science from the human body and its composition. We all know that, since its inception, modern medicine has chiefly focused on the science and how each organ works with one another, which is why our focus on its development will revolve around the human physiology.

But before we go-ahead to talk about the history from start, let's quickly enunciate the term, “medicine”, to give you a clear picture of what we're talking about. Because, in all honesty, many do not understand what it is all about, which why this article is here to put you out of that solve-able mystery.

Moving along, we'll be starting with the etymology of the word itself; Medicine. Like many other words in the English vocabulary, the word, “medicine” originates from Latin; from the word “Medicus”, which means “physician”.

As mentioned earlier, without a full understanding of what it is all about, we might not understand how it was able to fully evolve. Hence, there's a need for us to define the concept for your understanding.

Medicine, according to Wikipedia, is defined as the “science and practice of establishing the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases”. And, in all, this has to do with answering questions about the body, and how the organs that make it up to work together to keep the system in great shape.

It studies the organs of the body, their mechanisms, to understand how to treat them when they are affected by diseases.

It can also refer to drugs that are used for the treatment of diseases that affect the body. Tablets, capsules, and preparations are also referred to as medicine.

The history of this science presents how humans have evolved over the years. It presents the study of the body, its operations, and how diagnosis, and treatment have developed over the years.

Medicine has been around long before the birth of Christ. But then, it was viewed more like an art, with close connections with the philosophy and religion of the native values.

Although much is not clear from the facts about the start of medicine, however, in the early ages, during the prehistoric period, it was seen as more of a spiritual aid provided to sick people who might have done bad things against supernatural beings. Sickness and ailments were believed to be caused by the supernatural; probably viewed as ways the gods deal with lesser humans for their wrongs and ineptitude.

Early activities in the science of modern medicine date back to thousands of years ago, specifically in the cities of Egypt, India, China, and Babylon. These were some of the places where civilization was most evident at the time.

It was also at this time that concepts that have to do with medical operations as they relate to the human body began to be introduced, especially with the works of Hippocrates, which forms the foundation of the oaths taken by doctors and physicians upon their induction into the profession. The development of anatomy during this time also paved the way for the gradual introduction of basic concepts in anatomy that we now generally understand to be naturally part of this science.

During the period of awakening, the renaissance, a revolutionary object was invented. This was the microscope, and this invention, for then on, considerably improved the science and its understanding among people.

Ancient anatomy was practiced with animals to understand the mechanism of the body concerning that of humans. At the time, scientists were prohibited from dissecting human beings. So, they dissected dead animals and made findings, which in the end still reflected the religious beliefs that were in circulation at that time.

It was in ancient Greece that scientists began to form thoughts about how each organ in the human body all work together to function appropriately. The works of Hippocrates, upon which the foundation of modern medicine lay, present some evidence of how people at that time began to understand the human structure and how it works.

Many studies and fields were initiated to aim at exploring science to its deepest core. A series of development continued to occur until around 1220 CE when the scientific study of the human body began in several universities in ancient Italy. Knowledge of physiology and surgery began to spread far and wide.

Over the years, ground-breaking developments have continued to be made to further establish facts about the human body and its inevitable evolution in time. Technology has also assisted in the way physiology is now being understood.

The curiosities of the early men in the medicine have helped us in the understanding of the body, although the ideas that were presented then are now being disputed as not been foolproof in the field. Many scientists believe that we still operate in the same way and that nothing has changed in the real sense. However, whatever we understand today in medicine, we owe to the investigations scientists in the ancient times carried out to understand the physiology of the body.