Medical History Archive
-
Second oldest case of Prostate Cancer discovered in Egyptian mummy
Posted on February 2, 2012 | No CommentsWith the diagnosis of the first real case of prostate cancer in a mummy, researchers say the causes of cancer may be more genetic than was originally thought. -
Early history of wound treatment
Posted on January 22, 2012 | No CommentsThe first written records containing medical information date from about 2500 BC. Clay tablets from this time have been discovered in Mesopotamia and the first medical papyri from Egypt are probably some seven hundred years younger... -
Is consent in medicine a concept only of modern times?
Posted on January 18, 2012 | No CommentsAlthough the issue of consent in medical practice has grown immensely in recent years, and it is generally believed that historical cases are unknown, our research amongst original ancient Greek and Byzantine historical sources reveals that it is a very old subject which ancient philosophers and physicians have addressed. -
Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the History of Opium Addiction
Posted on January 18, 2012 | No CommentsHowever, it may be surprising to some that a man such as Marcus Aurelius, whose fame and accomplishments have been heralded for nearly two millennia, could have achieved such greatness while being plagued by the ‘disease’ that accompanies the frequent ingestion of opium. -
Wet-nursing in the Roman Empire: Indifference, efficiency and affection
Posted on January 13, 2012 | No CommentsWet-nursing has been an important topic in discussions about childhood in history. The prevalence of the practice has led many scholars to conclude that attitudes towards children were predominantly negative in the past. -
Hygienic conditions in ancient Rome and modern London
Posted on January 12, 2012 | No CommentsThe Romans fully appreciated the importance of a plentiful and wholesome supply of water, for domestic purposes, to the health of the community. -
Motherhood and Childbirth in Pharaonic Egypt
Posted on December 22, 2011 | No CommentsBarrenness was dreaded. If a woman could not conceive, pleas were made to the deities connected with fertility and childbirth, such as Bes, Taweret, and above all, Hathor. -
Pharmacological practices of ancient Egypt
Posted on December 21, 2011 | No CommentsEgyptian drug therapy can be regarded as having evolved from a system rooted in magic to one of empiric observation applied within a central ideology of health and disease. -
The Athenian Plague
Posted on December 4, 2011 | No CommentsDuring the years 430-426/5 BCE, a plague afflicted the city of Athens. -
Malaria and Alexander the Great: How important is family history?
Posted on November 20, 2011 | No CommentsAlexander the Great died from an acute febrile illness in 323 BC. Recent analyses have suggested several possible causes of his death and one among them is malaria.