Storyworld First: Creating a Unique Fantasy World for Your Novel by Jill Williamson

Author:Jill Williamson [Williamson, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Novel Teen Press
Published: 2014-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

MEDICINE

Primitive peoples understood enough about healing to bandage wounds with bark or animal skins or pack them in mud to stop the bleeding. But they had little understanding of what illness was. Most believed illnesses came from the gods or evil spirits or from curses the enemy placed on them. That’s why most had rituals to undo curses or perform healing ceremonies. Some even carried amulets to ward off sickness.

Early doctors discovered remedies for ailments in certain plants, roots, or minerals. These could be crushed into liquids or foods, or made into tonics, creams, or ointments.

Egyptians believed that there were canals inside the body and that illness blocked these canals. Because of this belief, they favored remedies like inhaling steam, inducing vomiting, and taking laxatives.

In ancient Greece, many believed in the gods of healing and spent plenty of money to visit temples and purchase “cures.” Greeks believed that the body was made up of elements, and if they were in balance, the person should be healthy.

Aristotle introduced the idea that the body was made up of four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. If a person was ill, it was believed he had too much of one area and needed to be rid of it. Some believed in treating illnesses with opposites. If the patient had a fever, they needed to intake cold substances. If a patient had chills, he needed to intake hot liquids or spicy foods.

The Romans learned that dirty water and sewage brought on illnesses. They developed aqueducts to bring clean water to the city, drained swamps or ponds of water they believed was unhealthy, and built sewer systems to carry waste out of the city via underground streams.

When Rome fell, much medical knowledge was lost. Ill medieval Europeans suffered centuries of bloodletting, purging, and having the color, smell, and taste of their urine examined. Some believed disease was caused by seeds blown on the wind or passed on by touch. Barbers pulled teeth, set broken bones, and performed amputations and simple surgeries. Artificial limbs might have been made from wood or bone. Some ascribed importance to Zodiac signs and superstitions surrounding them. Some believed illnesses could be cured by a king’s touch. Folk remedies were likely one of the safest forms of medicine at that time.

Eventually, medieval doctors rejected magic and superstition and focused on observing a patient and giving herbal remedies.

Sometimes the sick were mistreated or abused. The very sick were often quarantined. Lepers were forced to live in colonies. Some believed that the mentally ill were not truly human or were evil. Many were locked up in institutions, some kept in irons.

The invention of the microscope changed the face of medicine, followed by the discovery of vaccinations; the invention of the stethoscope; and the discovery and understanding of germs, immunizations, anesthetics, insulin, antibiotics, and drugs. All this eventually led to the use of artificial organs; the ability to conduct difficult surgeries, transplants, and artificial inseminations; and the use of fiber optics, CAT scans, and MRIs to enable doctors to see inside the patient’s body.

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