Health

History of medicine in Egypt

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introduction: History of medicine in Egypt: Ancient Egypt is best known for its pyramids, mummies, and hieroglyphics. However, its medical doctors may have the most lasting impact on humanity.

From surgery and dentistry to prosthetics and obstetrics, the ancient Egyptians made numerous medical advances during their nearly 3,000-year civilization. They even made early attempts to cure cancer.

Researchers have learned much about medical practices in ancient Egypt thanks to several surviving medical papyri, temple and tomb carvings, and scientific examination of human remains.

The Egyptians took medicine seriously, referring to it as a “necessary art.” They established medical education centers, and both men and women could become doctors.

Some of these plants are still used today. Fortunately, they documented the details of their lives by making carvings on stone and clay.

Although many of these records have been lost or destroyed, the surviving documents are a great source of knowledge in various scientific fields, including medicine—some basics of the diseases and treatments commonly treated in this great civilization.

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History of medicine in the 17th century

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Introduction: History of medicine in the 17th century. Unfortunately, 17th-century medicine was still handicapped by misconceptions about the human body. Most doctors still thought that there were four fluids (or “humor”) in the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, and believed that an excess of one humor caused disease.

However, during the 17th century, a more scientific method of medicine emerged, and some doctors began to question these traditional views.

For instance, physicians observed indigenous techniques and discovered that malaria could be ministered with the bark of the cinchona tree (effective because, as we now know, it contains quinine). However, the cause of malaria (a parasite) and its vector (the mosquito) remained unknown until the 1880s.

In the first half of the 16th century, Paracelsus’s disdain for the alchemical tradition was replaced by Aristotelian traditions and the recognition that physicians should rely more on their observation of disease than on ancient texts and theories.

Paracelsus, a controversial Swiss philosopher and scientist, also introduced using metals such as mercury and antimony to treat disease.

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History of black women in medicine

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Introduction: History of black women in medicine. We often discuss Black women as a powerful force in our culture, leading communities, political movements, social justice, etc.

Black women have had a strong and lasting impact in the field of science—helping to shape medicine throughout history. During the horrors of slavery, their forced labor was used to raise and care for the children of their white enslavers.

From slavery to the present day, medicine and science have been forever changed by black women, who led progress and more significant health equity—even in the face of racist efforts to exclude them. 

The goals are being determined. History Month has been authorized in the United States since 1970, but black women were an integral part of medicine in America long before that. Dr. Rebecca Crumpler was the first black woman in America to earn a medical degree in 1864—before the Civil War ended.

Throughout history, black women in medicine have faced dual discrimination based on both race and gender. They have worked tirelessly to achieve great work in medicine, research, advocacy, and public health.

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