Early concepts of nutrition, digestion, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and their treatment: mysticism, astrology, bloodletting, and leeches
| Autor: | N. B. Gubergrits, N. V. Byelyayeva, K. Y. Linevska |
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| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Modern Gastroenterology. :59-63 |
| ISSN: | 2521-649X 1727-5725 |
| Popis: | The secrets that veiled alchemy with mysticism were passed down from the members of the fraternal order associations to the physicists and pharmacists, and are still preserved to a certain extent among these professionals. Their preparations were exotic and included a wide range of medicines to treat many diseases. Thus, the so‑called «golden solution», presented as a universal cure, was marketed under the name of the «Solar elixir».In ancient times, presence of parasites, such as worms or their eggs, was one of the objective signs of the disease. Their revealing led to conclusions about the devil’s possession as a result of sin. Thus, treatment included not only extraction of parasites through the anus or skin ulcers but also the prayers and potions to exorcise evil spirits.While cosmology, divination and biblical prophecy dominated the assessment of health status and were used to predict the likelihood of a successful outcome of treatment, the results of research by anatomists and physiologists of the 16th and 17th centuries made it possible to give rise to an understanding of the relationship between body structure and function. The application of the principle that structure governs function, while function is influenced by structure according to the concept of total integration of the organism allowed the researchers of that time to unravel some of the mysteries of the organism and led to certain advances in the medical field.Medical bloodletting was applied in almost all cultures and societies. It was based on the concept that the removal of a certain amount of blood ensures a faster recovery of the patient in several diseases. There were three main techniques of bloodletting: phlebotomy — opening a vein to let blood out; cupping, which was used in young, elderly and weak patients who could not tolerate phlebotomy; the use of leeches. However, leeches were the most popular. Anticoagulants secreted by the leech into the blood slow down healing and scarring. This property is especially useful for repairing damaged tissues without scarring, and therefore is of particular interest for plastic surgery. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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