Ancient medicine from africa and europe

Social sciences

History

The development of medical science

Module 1

Ancient medicine from africa and europe

Activity 1:

To differentiate between primary and secondary sources on ancient medicine and to make deductions from the sources

[lo 3.3]

a) What is medicine?

When you hear the word medicine you think of a variety of things. Fill in the blocks by writing down what you think of when you hear the word medicine, or what it means to you.

b) Earliest illnesses

The earliest form of illness was discovered by a professor who studied a fossil of a dinosaur. Millions of years ago this giant animal developed cancer in its long tail. Just think how difficult it must have been for this animal to move around or to look for food, because of the pain in its tail. The animal became weaker and weaker and eventually died.

c) Stone Age

Before scientists manufactured medicine, people, and also animals, used their own methods. A sick dog ate grass, or licked its wounds until it healed.

The earliest kind of medicine man lived during the Stone Age, about 17 000 years ago. These people made rock paintings in caves, from which we can learn much.

e) San

The San in Southern Africa also had health problems. Many people died from being bitten by snakes, poisonous spiders or scorpions, or from injuries sustained when they hunted wild animals. Witch-doctors were sometimes consulted for cures. They believed that people who became ill, were possessed by spirits, and the witch-doctors had to drive out the spirit, thing or person that had caused the illness. The San also used herbs – leaves and roots of a variety of plants – for medicine. Sometimes these plants were burnt to ashes, mixed into a paste and rubbed into the wound. For snake-bites, the skin of a snake was placed over the wound to extract the poison.

f) Khoina

The Khoina believed that illnesses were caused by the spirits of the dead. Some of their witch-doctors had a good knowledge of herbal medicines. This “doctor” usually carried a small pouch containing roots, twigs and leaves of plants, bones and flesh from animals. This was cut up and ground to a powder to be used as medicine.

g) First hospital and medicines used at the Cape

The first hospital at the Cape was erected in the fort by Jan van Riebeeck. This hospital was very uncomfortable. Mattresses were made from cloth, stuffed with grass and put onto a hard board.

The cattle farmers and, many years later the Voortrekkers, used several interesting remedies during the trek into the interior. Children’s illnesses, like whooping cough and measles, occurred often and caused the death of many children. Every family had a medicine chest containing various remedies.

Read the following remedies and decide whether you would make use of them:

Stomach ailments: Leaves and roots of plants were cooked and drunk.

Plasters: Plasters were made from the resin of thorn trees, or

blue-gum leaves and vinegar.

Pneumonia: The warm skin of a freshly-slaughtered goat was put on the patient’s chest.

Asthma: Children with asthma had to play in the stables early in

the morning so that the smell of saltpetre from the urine of

the horses could open up their chests.

h) Medicines used in England

The following advertisement for medicine appeared in the London News a hundred years ago, in 1893.

1. Who was the manufacturer of the pills?

2. For what purpose were the pills used? (Two reasons)

3. What is meant by “Carter’s Victory”? Use a dictionary.

4. Explain what is meant by the slogan “Attack and Defence”.

5. Where were the pills sold?

6. Which words indicate that the pills were cheap?

7. Try to ascertain the value of 1s 1½d in rands and cents.

8. Why do you think, did the artist use birds in the advertisement?

9. Describe the events in the picture.

Assessment

Memorandum

Activity 1

There are many indications of changes that took place in Africa, also in the arts and sciences. Some of the oldest fossils of humans have been found in Africa. The oldest advanced cultures originated in Africa (eg. Egypt). In certain areas the learners could also have the opposite viewpoints – as long as they can be well motivated.