Prehistoric and Egyptian Medicine
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Dawson, Ian, PUBLISHER: Enchanted Lion Books, What is as fundamental to a society and just as revealing as its habits of food preparation, work, dress, religious belief, and artistic production? Just as essential are its ideas about the body, health and illness. Offering insights, both broad and deep, into the cultures it explores, The History of Medicine series describes medical knowledge, practices, instruments and discoveries from prehistoric times to the present. Each of its 6 volumes presents the social and economic characteristics of the period under discussion, the prevailing state of medical knowledge, and the key figures in medicine. The books are divided into chapters focusing on questions, such as: what caused people to be healthy or unhealthy? What ideas did people have about the causes of illnesses and their treatments? Who provided medical care? How efficacious were the treatments used? Allowing the facts to speak for themselves, these volumes present a lively and informative account of medical beliefs and practices and the many causes behind their change over time. Photographs and illustrations, as well as biography panels, quotation panels and "interesting fact" panels appear throughout each book, further engaging the young reader. What was known about the body by early peoples? What understanding of disease and treatments did people have? What can we learn about prehistoric health and medicine from archaeology? Why did the Egyptians use honey as often as they did? Why did medicine men suck the body of the ill person? Prehistoric and Egyptian Medicine explores these questions and many more. How healthy were prehistoric people? Using evidence from Orkney in the British Isles, the author shows how archaeology can helpus to understand something about life expectancy, fitness and the causes of pain among prehistoric people. The book also reveals what Native Americans and Australian aboriginals can teach us prehistoric medicine. The medical ideas of ancient Egypt also are explored. We learn about written records, specialized doctors, charms, embalming and more. Well-illustrated and rich with detail, Prehistoric and Egyptian Medicine is informative and at times, surprising.