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Prehistoric medicine is any use ofmedicine from before theinvention ofwriting and the documentedhistory of medicine. Because the timing of the invention of writing varies perculture and region, the term "prehistoric medicine" encompasses a wide range of time periods and dates.[1]
The study ofprehistoric medicine relies heavily onartifacts andhuman remains, and onanthropology. Previouslyuncontacted peoples and certainindigenous peoples who live in a traditional way have been the subject of anthropological studies in order to gain insight into both contemporary and ancient practices.[2]
Some diseases and ailments were more common in prehistory than they are today; there is evidence that many people suffered fromosteoarthritis, probably caused by the lifting of heavy objects which would have been a daily and necessary task in their societies.[citation needed] For example, the transport oflatte stones, a practice started during theNeolithic era, which involved hyper extension and torque of the lower back while dragging the stones, may have contributed to the development of micro fractures in the spine and subsequentspondylolysis. Things such as cuts, bruises, and breakages of bone, without antiseptics, proper facilities, or knowledge of germs, would become very serious if infected, as they did not have sufficient ways to treat infection.[3][unreliable source?]There is also evidence ofrickets, bone deformity and bone wastage (osteomalacia),[4] which is caused by a lack ofvitamin D.
The life expectancy in prehistoric times was low, 25–40 years,[5] with men living longer than women; archaeological evidence of women and babies found together suggests that many women would have died in childbirth, perhaps accounting for the lower life expectancy in women than men. Another possible explanation for the shorter life spans of prehistoric humans may be malnutrition; also, men as hunters may have sometimes received better food than women, who would consequently have been less resistant to disease.[6]
Plant materials (herbs and substances derived fromnatural sources)[10] were among the treatments for diseases in prehistoric cultures.[which?][11] Since plant materials quickly rot under most conditions, historians are unlikely to fully understand which species were used in prehistoric medicine. A speculative view can be obtained by researching the climate of the respective society and then checking which species continue to grow in similar conditions today[12] and through anthropological studies of existing indigenous peoples.[13][14]Unlike the ancient civilisations which could source plant materials internationally, prehistoric societies would have been restricted to localised areas, thoughnomadic tribes may have had a greater variety of plant materials at their disposal than more stationary societies.
The effects of different plant materials could have been found through trial and error.[15][unreliable source?] Gathering and dispensing of plant materials was in most cultures handled by women, who cared for the health of their family.[16] Plant materials were an important cure for diseases throughout history.[17] This fund of knowledge would have been passed down orally through the generations.
Thebirch polypore fungus, commonly found in alpine environments, may have been used as a laxative by prehistoric people living in Northern Europe, since it is known to bring on short bouts of diarrhoea when ingested, and was found among the possessions of a mummified man.[18]
Earths andclays may have provided prehistoric peoples with some of their first medicines. This is related togeophagy, which is extremely widespread among animals in the wild as well as among domesticated animals. In particular, geophagy is widespread among contemporary non-human primates.[19] Also, early humans could have learned about the use of varioushealing clays by observing animal behaviour. Such clay is used both internally and externally, such as for treating wounds, and after surgery (see below).[citation needed] Geophagy, and the external use of clay are both still quite widespread among aboriginal peoples around the world, as well as among pre-industrial populations.
Trepanning (sometimesTrephining) was a basicsurgical operation in which a hole was drilled or scraped into the skull. It was carried out in prehistoric societies across the world,[20][21] although evidence shows a concentration of the practice inPeru.[17][20][22] Several theories question the reasoning behind trepanning; it could have been used to cure certain conditions such asheadaches andepilepsy.[23][24] There is evidence discovered of bone tissue surrounding the surgical hole partially grown back, so therefore survival of the procedure did occur at least on occasion.[17]
The first knowntrepanning operation was carried outc. 5000 BCE inEnsisheim, France.[25] A possibleamputation was carried outc. 4,900 BCE in Buthiers-Bulancourt, France.
Many prehistoric peoples,[which?] where applicable (geographically and technologically), were able to set broken orfractured bones using clay materials. An injured area was covered in clay, which then set hard so that the bone could heal properly without interference.[1] Also, primarily in theAmericas, the pincers of certain ant species were used to close up wounds from infection; the ant was held above the wound until it bit, where its head would be removed allowing the pincers to remain and hold closed the wound.[26]
Medicine men (also witch-doctors, shamans) maintained the health of their tribe by gathering and distributing herbs, performing minor surgical procedures,[28] providing medical advice, andsupernatural treatments such as charms, spells, andamulets to ward off evil spirits.[29] InApache society, as would likely have been the case in many others, the medicine men initiate a ceremony over the patient, which is attended by family and friends. It consists of magic formulas, prayers, and drumming. The medicine man then, from patients' recalling of their past and possible offenses against their religion or tribal rules, reveals the nature of the disease and how to treat it.
They were believed by the tribe to be able to contact spirits or gods and use their supernatural powers to cure the patient, and, in the process, remove evil spirits. If neither this method nor trepanning worked, the spirit was considered too powerful to be driven out of the person.[citation needed] Medicine men would likely have been central figures in the tribal system, because of their medical knowledge and because they could seemingly contact the gods. Their religious and medical training were, necessarily,passed down orally.[30]
The earliest example of a drilled and filled in tooth dates back to 13,000 years ago in Italy where a tooth was filled with a mix of bitumen, hair and plant fiber.[31]Archaeologists inMehrgarh inBalochistan province in the present dayPakistan discovered that the people ofIndus Valley civilization from the earlyHarappan periods (c. 3300 BC) had knowledge of medicine anddentistry. Thephysical anthropologist who carried out the examinations, Professor Andrea Cucina from theUniversity of Missouri, made the discovery when he was cleaning the teeth from one of the men. Later research in the same area found evidence of teeth having been drilled dating to 7,000 BCE.[32]
There is no written evidence that can be used for investigation into the prehistoric period of history by definition. Historians must use other sources such ashuman remains and anthropological studies of societies living under similar conditions. A variety of problems arise when the aforementioned sources are used.
Human remains from this period are rare, and many have been destroyed or damaged beyond the point of providing useful information.[33] The most informative pieces of archaeological evidence aremummies, human remains which have been preserved either artificially, as withAncient Egyptian funerary practices, or naturally, as with theSiberian Ice Maiden or abog body.[34][35] From the examination of these mummies, scientists can gather health-related information related to age, diet, illnesses, and injuries,[36][37] which grant vital indications of how developed prehistoric medicine was.
Not technically classed as 'written evidence', prehistoric people left many kinds of paintings, using paints made of minerals such as lime, clay and charcoal, and brushes made from feathers, animal fur, or twigs on the walls caves. Although many of these paintings are thought to have a spiritual or religious purpose,[38] there have been some, such as a man with antlers (thought to be a medicine man), which have revealed some part of prehistoric medicine. Many cave paintings of human hands have shown missing fingers (none have been shown without thumbs), which suggests that these were cut off for sacrificial or practical purposes, as is the case among thePygmies andKhoikhoi.[39]
The writings of certain cultures (such as the Romans) can be used as evidence in discovering how their contemporary prehistoric cultures practiced medicine. People who live a similar nomadic existence today have been used as a source of evidence too, but obviously, there are distinct differences in the environments in which nomadic people lived; prehistoric people who once lived inBritain for example, cannot be effectively compared to aboriginal peoples inAustralia, because of the geographical differences.[40]
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... women prepared food and healing potions--women generally practiced herbalism on a day to day basis, taking care of the ills of other members of the family or tribal unit
{{cite web}}:External link in|website=In Peruvian practice there is considerable evidence that many of the operations were performed for the naturalistic purpose of removing a bone fragment ... and trephination undertaken as a supernatural curative procedure by shamans (sancoyoc) with little technical ability as surgeons.
Trained from an early age by their elders and initiated into the deepest of tribal secrets...
It is a matter of luck because only some skeletons survive
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