To use evidence to find out about prehistoric medicine

Before people wrote things down

•Prehistoric people were nomadic hunters

•

Tick the correct sentences

•An area the size of Britain would only contain a few thousand people

•Human waste was easily got rid of and people moved on before dirt and waste had built up

•There was no government and no one to turn to outside the hunting band if things went wrong

•Meet was usually plentiful as there was many wild animals and so few people

•People cooked meat over fires

•People lived in temporary shelters

•People knew a lot about plants

•Berries, wild leaves and roots were eaten as vegetables

•There was lots of clean water available from streams and rivers

•The nomadic hunting lifestyle provided people with plenty of exercise•Prehistoric people were farmers

•Prehistoric people had a poor diet

•Prehistoric people had poor teeth

•Prehistoric people could not communicate

•Prehistoric people drank alcohol

•Prehistoric people were nomadic hunters

Tick the correct sentences

•An area the size of Britain would only contain a few thousand people

•Human waste was easily got rid of and people moved on before dirt and waste had built up

•There was no government and no one to turn to outside the hunting band if things went wrong

•Meet was usually plentiful as there was many wild animals and so few people

•People cooked meat over fires

•People lived in temporary shelters

•People knew a lot about plants

•Berries, wild leaves and roots were eaten as vegetables

•There was lots of clean water available from streams and rivers

•The nomadic hunting lifestyle provided people with plenty of exercise•Prehistoric people were farmers

•Prehistoric people had a poor diet

•Prehistoric people had poor teeth

•Prehistoric people could not communicate

•Prehistoric people drank alcohol

Herbs

Weapons

Looking at the evidence what can we

suggest about medicine in the

prehistoric period?

You have 10 minutes

Archaeological Report by F. Reynoldson

Prehistoric graves of men and women have been found all over the world. Sometimes there is evidence of trephining. This is when a whole has been cut into a person’s skull. Often the missing piece is buried with its owner.

Update

Most trephined skulls have rounded edges around the hole which shows that there has been bone regrowth (the bone grew afterwards).

Cave Paintings

•many have been found in France, Spain, and as far as Chile.

•This picture is a famous painting from a cave called, ‘The Three Brothers’ in France.

•It is a man wearing the antlers of a stag. He is dancing,

•What is the link between this painting and prehistoric medicine?

Trepanning

Trepanning

What was trepanning?What was trepanning?

(from Greek (from Greek trupanontrupanon, borer) or , borer) or trephining.trephining.

•This is maybe the most ancient form of This is maybe the most ancient form of brain brain surgerysurgery known to man: known to man:

Just imagine: Just imagine: •a hole of 2.5 to 5 cm of diameter, drilled a hole of 2.5 to 5 cm of diameter, drilled by hand into the skull of a living man by hand into the skull of a living man

•without any anesthetics or antiseptics without any anesthetics or antiseptics during 30 to 60 long minutesduring 30 to 60 long minutes

Theory 1: Dr. Prunieres 1865

Holes were made to become drinking cups

Theory 4: E. Guiard 1930

Suggested trepanning was done to help illness e.g. broken skulls, headaches and epilepsy.

In fact, for some of these conditions, trepanning shows a true therapeutic effect, and it is still used by neurosurgeons.

Why was trepanning done?Why was trepanning done?

Theory 2: Professor Paul Broca 1876

Suggested operation was done on children. Those who lived on had magical powers

Theory 3: Douglas Guthrie 1945

Suggested trepanning was done to let out evil spirits.

The Tomb of Isbister

How healthy were people?

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What caused sickness?

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What did they think caused illness?

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Who treated the sick?

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How did they treat illness and injury?

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The evidence is limited – the Skeletons only help us to answer some not all questions.

Bones may have been damaged in excavation. Is a hole in the skull a battle wound, the excavator axe when digging it up or a operation?Few sites contain human bones.

It seems that prehistoric people left dead bodies in the open so that the flesh would rot or be eaten by birds.

Then the bones were buried away from human sites

The skeletons at Ibister may not be typical of other prehistoric groups or all the people at Ibister. They may be the skulls of enemies.

Are there any people groups which are still around in the last two centuries that show

prehistoric type behaviour/culture?

Aboriginal/prehistoric person

Suffering from illness

Is the cause of the illness obvious?

Common Sense Cause

Spiritual Cause

Problem 1Broken Arm

Problem 2Cut

Encase in clay and dry in the

sun

Cover with clay or animal fat and bind with bark

Problem 1Evil Spirit in

the body

Problem 2Spirit has left

the body

Spirit must be driven out of

the body using charms

Spirit must be returned to the

body. Spirit must be found on the end of a pointing stick.

Yes

No