Monday, February 06, 2017

Origin of disease - Cancer was unheard of in ancient civilization

In the ancient world, the word "Cancer" was unheard of.


Ancient Egypt (3200BC to 515BC) is where we first see the dawn of what, today, we call "medical care". The Egyptian civilization was one of the first great civilization on this planet. Egyptians thought gods, demons and spirits played a key role in causing diseases. Many people who famed to become doctors according to the role entrusted upon them, at that time believed that evil spirits blocked channels in the body, and this affected the way the body functioned. 

Research into this involved trying to find ways to unblock these so called "Blocked Channels". Gradually, through a process which took lots of trial and errors and some basic science was discovered and thus the profession of a "doctor of medicine" emerged and started gaining prominence. Ancient Egyptian doctors as well as other civilizations used a combination of natural remedies, combined with prayer and offerings to cure the so called diseases.

Unlike prehistoric peoples who were not able to document their healing procedures, ancient Egyptians were able to document their research and knowledge and keep it safe, they were could read and write; they also had a system of mathematics which helped scientists make calculations based on various parameters. Documented ancient Egyptian medical literature is among the oldest in existence today but there may be more such civilization whose healing methods are documented.

The ancient Egyptians had an agricultural economy, organized and structured government, social conventions and properly enforced laws through which they functioned. Their society was stable even at that time; many people lived their whole lives in the same place, unlike most of their prehistoric predecessors who had to move from one place to another in search of food and fresh pastures. This stability allowed medical research to develop and improve.