Healthcare and Epidemics in Antiquity (Essay Sample)

Healthcare and Epidemics in Antiquity
In the last century, tremendous advancements in understanding disease etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis have transformed the healthcare system. The developments in healthcare have primarily been driven by science and technology, with new machines, medicines, and treatments such as antibiotics, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), saving the lives of many. Yet, modern medicine has roots in ancient civilizations, particularly in Greek and Egyptian antiquity.
Religion and magic played a significant role in the medicine of early human society. Common maladies such as constipation or cold were believed to be a part of existence and were treated with herbal remedies (Harust, et al. 17). However, severe and disabling diseases were attributed to the curse of the gods or due to the evil forces of demons. Thus, the treatment methods for such diseases were to extract the evil intruder by incantations, counterspells, and potions (Harust, et al. 17). Oral administration of herbal drugs was accompanied by chants, grimaces, and dancing. As such, the first doctors were often sorcerers and witch doctors. These ancient clinical interventions did little to reduce disease morbidity and mortality, as evidenced by the health impacts of epidemics in early times (Koutsouris 1). In the past, epidemics and pandemics such as plagues, cholera, and smallpox exploded in recurrent waves, killing millions of people around the world.
Plague is one of the earliest epidemic diseases. An infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacillus Yersinia pestis that parasites wild rodents, plague is characterized by fever, abdominal pain, chills, extreme weakness, and bleeding through the skin (Buchillet 517). The disease originated in 541 CE (Common Era) in the Middle East (Glatter and Finkelman 177). The bubonic plague or “Black Death” originated in Central Asia and arrived in Messina, Sicily, in October 1347 (Glatter and Finkelman 177). Facilitated by trade, the plague spread quickly through Europe, killing more than 25 million people (a third of the European population).