Health and Disease: A Historical Perspective

After completing this section of the chapter, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

♦ Describe the contributions of the early Greek, Italian, and
English scholars to the understanding of anatomy,
physiology, and pathology

♦ State two important advances of the nineteenth century
that helped to pave the way for prevention of disease

♦ State three significant advances of the twentieth century
that have revolutionized diagnosis and treatment of
disease

♦ Propose developments that will both hamper and
contribute to the promotion of health and the
elimination of disease in the twenty-first century

It has been said that those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. There are many contributors to the understanding of how the body is constructed and how it works, and what disease is and how it can be treated, which in turn leads to an understanding of what health is and how can it be maintained.

Much of what we take for granted in terms of treating the diseases that afflict humankind has had its origin in the past. Although they are seemingly small contributions in terms of today's scientific advances, it is the knowledge

  produced by the great thinkers of the past that has made possible the many things we now take for granted.