Legendary healers who forever changed medicine

Most people have heard of the prominent physician Hippocrates and his famous oath. But they know much less about Shen-Nun, Avicenna and Andreas Vesalius - less well-known scientists who changed the history of medicine. Their achievements still affect medical science.

Shennun

There was a god among ancient doctors. His name was Shen-nong.

Shennun

He was a deity in the Chinese religion, a healer, a mythical sage and ruler of prehistoric China. He is also believed to have improved the therapeutic understanding of pulse measurement and cauterization practices (the medicinal practice of burning wormwood on certain parts of the body). Shen-nun lived from 2737 to 2697 BC.

Legends claim that he looked like a man, but at the same time he had a transparent stomach, thanks to which he saw what was happening with the plants that he swallowed. It is said that he ate hundreds of plants, using his body to study their healing properties.

Abu l-Qasim al-Zahravi (Albuquasis)

Al-zahrawi

Albucasis was born in 936 AD, during the Islamic Golden Age in Madinaz Zahra, Andalusia, Spain. He received the patronage of the ruler and was recognized as a medical genius. More than 50 years served as a court doctor.

However, the most significant part of at-Tasrif is the 30th volume on surgery. It was thanks to this work that Az-Zahravi was called the "Father of modern surgery." This volume contains detailed explanations of certain operations, about 200 descriptions and illustrations of surgical instruments (the earliest of its kind in history), as well as a number of innovations that have become widely used in operating rooms.

Galen of Pergamon

Galen of Pergamon was one of the most famous doctors of the Roman Empire. His medical works retained their significance not only for the Roman world, but also for the Islamic, as well as for medieval Europe.

After living abroad for several years, Galen returned to Pergamum in 157 AD, where he was appointed doctor of gladiators. He was later invited by Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor, to work as a court physician. Galen continued to serve in this capacity during the reign of Caracalla and Septimius Severus.

The doctor wrote hundreds of treatises. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, his works were mostly forgotten in the West. In the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world, by contrast, Galen's work occupied a prominent place in the study of medicine. Thanks to this, the works of Galen were able to find their way to Western Europe in the Middle Ages.

Paracelsus

Theophrast Paracelsus

Paracelsus is the father of modern toxicology. Paracelsus visited many of the most important European universities during his travels and gained practical medical knowledge by working as a military surgeon in various armies. Among scientists was considered a "heretic." He earned such a reputation because of disputes with the revered Galenian-Arab system, the burning of Avicenna’s works in a public square, and criticism of the greed of pharmacists.

One of Paracelsus' contributions to the history of medicine was that he talked about pathological changes that were caused not only by internal factors, but also by external ones. To them he attributed "cosmic influences", depending on the climate, and toxic substances formed in food.

Paracelsus suggested that all natural substances have two types of effects - beneficial and harmful. This led to one of the most famous sayings of Paracelsus, which is a fundamental principle of classical toxicology: "There is poison in everything. Everything depends on the dose."

Ibn Sina

Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna, was born in 980 in what is now Uzbekistan. He was self-taught. The scientist had an incredible craving for knowledge. He mastered mathematics, physics, philosophy, astronomy, medicine. Being talented in all areas, Ibn Sina chose medicine as the main activity and was engaged in it from the age of 18.

It is believed that he wrote at least 130 books, the most influential of which is the "Canon of Medicine." This five-volume work was translated into Latin in the 12th century and was used as a textbook in European medical universities until the 17th century.

Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius is a doctor and anatomist who lived in the 16th century. Before his appearance, Galen was considered the main authority in medicine. But Galen had a problem: his religious beliefs did not allow him to open the dead man. Vesalius did not share such views, and his readiness to open people marked the beginning of a new stage in the study of human anatomy. In 1539, the work of Vesalius aroused interest among the Padua judge. This helped him a lot, because the judge allowed the anatomist to perform an autopsy on the bodies of executed criminals. Thanks to this, the doctor could conduct experiments and study the human body.

Ambroise Pare

Ambroise Pare (c. 1510-1590) was a French surgeon who served kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. He invented several surgical instruments and was a keen anatomist. He is considered one of the fathers of modern forensic science and a pioneer in the field of surgical treatment of military injuries.