A Short History Of Medicine

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A Short History Of Medicine

If you’re thinking of applying to medicine, it’s probably useful to have an idea of where it all started!

So, when did the practice of medicine begin? And who were the first doctors? While there are no straightforward answers to these questions, there is evidence from primitive societies that ‘treatments’ were attempted for common conditions, although often superstition and religious beliefs would be intermingled with these.

We do know that from ancient Egyptian times there were ‘doctors’ and in this context, the medical practitioner Imhotep (around 2600 BC) produced a written work chronicling over 200 different medical conditions.

Short, but to the point.

• 2600 BCE - Here, eat this root.
• 1000 CE - That root is heathen. Here, says this prayer.
• 1850 CE - That prayer is superstition. Here, drinks this potion.
• 1930 CE - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallows this pill.
• 1980 CE - That pill is ineffective. Here, takes this antibiotic.
• 2060 CE - That antibiotic doesn't work anymore. Here, eats this root.