Good day, dear Take in Mind readers! Being “amazed” by (that’s right, in quotes) the absurdity of another instance of prioritization of the social over the professional, I involuntarily turn to examples from the far past. Without a doubt, times were not as advanced as today, but they were also not so primitive as it is commonly believed. I want to share some interesting facts from the history of ancient medicine. Maybe it will benefit modern society to return to its roots, archives, and museums and learn something from ancient scientists and managers?
- During Ancient Mesopotamia, healers used to categorize all diseases into two types. They considered minor ailments such as colds, headaches, or stomach upsets a natural part of everyday life. However, diseases such as smallpox, dysentery, and fever were considered the result of demons entering a person or the punishment of the gods. The treatment for such ailments always involved a combination of traditional and alternative medicine, where medicinal herbs were used in conjunction with magical spells.
- In the legal code of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, created in the 1750s BC, there was a law that established the responsibility of doctors for their mistakes. Paragraphs 218-220 of the code lay out the punishment for a doctor if they performed unsuccessful surgery on a person. If an operation on a free person was unsuccessful, the doctor’s punishment was to have their hand cut off. In other cases, the doctor had to pay monetary compensation. This law may be the reason for why there were not enough doctors in the kingdom, and why it was common practice to ask for advice from passers-by. Patients would describe their symptoms, and those who had recovered from a similar illness would advise on what to do. While this was a risky practice, it was, at least, free.
- The medicine of Old India was not just renowned, it was a significant contributor to the field. Ayurveda, the system that prioritized the treatment of the person, not just the disease, was a testament to this. The healers had an in-depth understanding of the human body’s structure, which was considered the most comprehensive in the ancient world. This knowledge was a vital milestone in the development of anatomy and surgery, shaping the course of medical history. As a result, the art of surgical treatment and surgical instruments were the most advanced in the ancient world. The doctors were skilled in various healing techniques and the use of surgical instruments, achieving cleanliness during operations. They performed various surgeries, including amputations of limbs, stone cutting, hernia repair, and removal of clouded lenses. Old India was also the birthplace of plastic surgery, with doctors being able to restore various parts of the face, including noses, ears, and lips, that were mutilated in battle or by court verdicts. The famed surgeon Susruta described the unique method of rhinoplasty in detail, which became known as the “Indian method.” The procedure involved cutting out a skin flap, attached to a vascular pedicle from the skin of the forehead or cheek, to form the nose. Other reconstructive operations on the face were performed similarly. Plastic surgery in Old India was widespread and significantly ahead of Europe, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of medicine.
- Most probably, the famed Old Chinese physician Hua Tuo (2nd century) was the first to use anesthesia during surgery. In the biography of Hua Tuo in San Guo Zhi (Records of the Three Kingdoms, late 3rd century), it is mentioned that in case of internal illness, when the action of needles and medicines did not bring any effect, the genius doctor suggested that his patients drink a mixture called mafeisan, after which they immediately became intoxicated, and lost consciousness. Then Hua Tuo could make an incision and operate on the patient. Unfortunately, the composition of the original mafeisan was lost, although a couple of supposed recipes were later published. For more information, see the article by Peishan Zhao and colleagues (DOI: 10.1016/j.janh.2018.01.009).
- In Ancient Greece, patients were treated in the Sanctuary of Asklepios, the temples dedicated to the god of medicine, Asclepius, which had also served as medical and health complexes. The primary healing means were various forms of hydrotherapy, cold ablutions, massage, and gymnastics. In addition, prototypes of “therapeutic dreams” were practiced – under fumigation, suggestion, and hypnosis, patients were immersed in so-called “sacred” dreams. During treatment, a unique table was compiled for each patient that contained a description of the course of the disease and the treatment undertaken. On the territory of the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, archeologists revealed a kind of medical archive with the histories and treatment protocols for more than 70 patients.
Finally, as if in contrast, one terrible story from the first half of the twentieth century. Here is an almost verbatim quote from the diary of Lord Bertrand Dawson, a personal physician of His Majesty King George V of Great Britain, where the events on the night of the death of His Majesty on January 20, 1936, were scrupulously described.
At about 11 o’clock it was evident that the last stage might endure for many hours, unknown to the Patient but little comporting with that dignity and serenity which he so richly merited and which demanded a brief final scene. Hours of waiting just for the mechanical end when all that is really life has departed only exhausts the onlookers and keeps them so strained that they cannot avail themselves of the solace of thought, communion or prayer. I therefore decided to determine the end and injected (myself) morphia gr.3/4 and shortly afterwards cocaine gr.1 into the distended jugular vein… In about 1/4 an hour – breathing quieter – appearance more placid – physical struggle gone…
The death of George V was officially registered at 23:55. Dawson also mentioned that he did this because he felt that news of the king’s death should be published in the morning edition of The Times rather than in the evening edition since the evening edition of the newspaper was considered less prestigious, especially for news such as the monarch’s death. You understand, right? The murder was performed for the type of the newspaper. Unfortunately or not, Dawson’s diary was published in 1986 after the doctor’s death and fifty years after the mentioned events.
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