Position:Home>History> What is the brief history of Medicine and health science during the stone age?

Remains of stone age skeletons that have been studied have shown that broken bones were sometimes set and went on to heal, so there must have been some rudimentary surgical knowledge among stoneage people!. There is also evidence that they practiced trepaning (removing part of the skull to relieve chronic head pains)!. This operation seems to have been performed successfuly in many cases as the patients evidently survived!.

There is also evidence to show that by Neolithic times a considerable number of medicinal plants were known!. Studies of botanical remains from various prehistoric sites across the world show that Neolithic people knew and grew a number of drug plants that could have been used for their anaesthetic and other medicianl properties!. Opium (from which morphine is derived), cannabis, henbane and other nightshades with narcotic properties and coca (source of the powerful stimulant and anaesthetic alkaloid cocaine) are merely a few of the medicianl plants that have been found!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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We don't know specifics, as they left no written records!. We can make educated guesses based on evidence they left behind though!.

We do know that they were nomadic, which meant that they faced different health care challenges to a community that lives in one fixed area, for example, they weren't too troubled by infectious disease, as the population was too small for it to survive!. We think that when the tribes population got to big they split up, some evidence even suggests that they committed infanticide!. It also means that they weren't at risk from diseases such as cholera and dysentery, as the water supply didn't have chance to become polluted!.

From examination of bones we know that life expectancy was quite short, 20-30 years old seems typical!.

We also have found skulls with holes made in them!. This shows that prehistoric man carried out an operation called trephening, which is the posh name for having a hole made in the skull!. They would have invented sharpened tools in order to do this!. Most historians believe this would have been done to free the body from evil spirits, to cure headaches, mental illness etc!. amazingly, some of theses skulls show signs of healing, suggesting the patient survived the operation!.

For day to day cures many historians believe the prehistoric people turned to 'medicine men' who would make offerings to the gods and supply herbal remedies!. this knowledge of herbs would be passed down through the generations!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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As they left no records we have no idea!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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