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Medicine

Representational image of Maya healing by a medicine man. Source: HaiderShah / Adobe Stock

Unlocking the Secrets of Maya Healing

At a time when human beings are suffering from a host of illnesses caused by stress and modern-day living, the need for ancient wisdom has never been more important. In fact, many people have become...
Women spinning and socializing. From Augustine’s La Cité de Dieu. Source: Museum Meermanno/The Conversation

The Hidden Healers: Women's Secret Medieval Health Networks

Pragya Agarwal /The Conversation In the medieval period, medical science was still dominated by the ancient writings of Hippocrates from the fifth century and Galen of Pergamon from the second...
Representational image of ancient healing medicinal practice. Source: dimensdesign / Adobe Stock

Ancient Healing Methods Offer an Alternative Paradigm in Health

As long as life has existed on earth, so have issues associated with maintaining health and the remediation of disease. Today, when many of us get sick, our first course of action is to call the...
Left; Stele of a standing dignitary, with likely tobacco leaves his hair. Right; El Baul, acropolis site Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala. under excavation 2006 Inset; 3 of the vessel tested in the study 	Source: Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos/Antiquity Publications Ltd

Proof Ancient Mesoamericans Drank Sacred Tobacco-Infused Liquids is Found

In a new chemical analysis performed on ceramic vases recovered during excavations at the ancient metropolis of Cotzumalhuapa in southwestern Guatemala, a team of researchers from Yale University and...
Modern day woman with Down syndrome looking at you while group of girls practicing yoga in gym. Source: pressmaster/Adobe Stock

Signature of Down Syndrome Found in Ancient Humans

A brilliant and comprehensive new study has analyzed the DNA of almost 10,000 people from ancient and pre-modern societies, and found 6 cases of Down syndrome in past or ancient human populations...
Ancient Botanical medicine involved smell and taste. Source: Thomas Mucha/Adobe Stock

Ancient Botanical Medicine Was Driven By Taste and Smell, Study Finds

With the advent of modern medicine, it’s hard to imagine the role taste had in the preparation of ancient botanical remedies. In layman terms, taste and flavor had a huge role to play in their...
The bone, black henbane seeds and tar plug used to keep it sealed. Source: BIAC Consult

For Pain or Pleasure? Poisonous Plant Henbane Used by the Romans

While digging at the site of a rural, first-century AD Roman settlement in Houten-Castellum in the Netherlands, archaeologists uncovered a most unusual artifact. Inside a hollowed-out animal bone,...
Leech Finders, from the print collection Costume of Yorkshire (1814), by artist George Walker and engravers Robert and Daniel Havell.             Source: New York Public Library.

Leech Collectors Used Amputated Legs to Procure Leeches

When it comes to historical jobs that will make your skin crawl, leech collecting certainly tops the list. While today, leeches might be an oddity or a relic of ancient medicine, they were once...
Pregnancy in ancient Greece was a difficult time. Source: migfoto / Adobe Stock.

The Sad Truth About Pregnancy in Ancient Greece (Video)

In ancient Greece, pregnancy was far from the experience we know today. The era was marked by perilous uncertainty for expectant mothers and their unborn children. The duty of women was clear:...
Pirate surgeon kit. Source:  Kai Beercrafter / Adobe Stock.

The Gruesome Life of a Pirate Surgeon (Video)

During the Golden Age of Piracy danger was constant. Facing bullets, splinters, and diseases like scurvy, yellow fever, malaria, and smallpox, skilled surgeons were a necessity. 18th-century pirate...
Fleas on rats spread the plague. Source: kichigin19 / Adobe Stock.

What Hygiene Was Like During the Black Plague? (Video)

In the 14th century , European hygiene during the Black Plague was far from ideal. Bathing was infrequent, and people resorted to remedies like vinegar and even urine to combat the disease due to a...
Royal queen in her bedchamber. Source: Anneke / Adobe Stock.

What Giving Birth Was Like for Royal Mothers (Video)

Royal childbirths, a far cry from today's private affairs, were once grand spectacles, laden with political significance. Public scrutiny was the norm, with hundreds of onlookers present to confirm...
Aztec warriors. Source: Arthur / Adobe Stock.

The Ancient Aztec Took Hygiene Very Seriously (Video)

Thanks to their penchant for human sacrifice the Aztecs have a rather gruesome reputation, but what was their hygiene like? As it turns out, they upheld remarkable standards of hygiene. Their...
Indigo dye. Source: Thirawatana / Adobe Stock.

The Link Between Japanese Samurai and Real Indigo (Video)

Within the captivating tapestry of Japanese history , a fascinating link emerges between Samurai culture and the realm of real indigo. Tucked away in Tokushima, Japan, a region steeped in tradition,...
Rosendo Amasifuen conducting a healing practice. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Great Big Story.

Curanderismo: An Ancient Practice with Peru’s Last Medicine Men (Video)

Nestled within the depths of Peru's Amazonian mountains lies a fading tradition that speaks to centuries of natural healing: curanderismo . At 86 years old, Rosendo Amasifuen stands as the final link...
Science is finally catching up with beliefs that ancient peoples have known all along. AI generated image of a copper molecule structure. Source: DmitriRich / Adobe Stock

Copper’s Ancient Healing Powers Are Only Now Being Understood

While certain ancient remedies have received quite a bad rap in the modern era, it appears that some beliefs related to the healing properties of copper may have been spot on. Copper’s use in...
Image 111 of On the Fabric of the Human Body by Andreas Vesalius (Library of Congress)

The Most Influential Medical Book of the 16th Century (Video)

In the 16th century, a groundbreaking medical book emerged, now revered as one of the most influential of its time. Andreas Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica (‘On the Fabric of the Human Body’)...
Spanish fly has garnered a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac. Source: Mr. Bolota / Adobe Stock

There’s a Historic Misconception That ‘Spanish Fly’ is an Aphrodisiac

Cultures across the world and throughout history have attributed Spanish fly with aphrodisiacal qualities, used to cure erectile dysfunction , generate desire and enhance sexual performance. Even...
The success of Dr. James Marion Sims, the so-called father of gynecology, was achieved thanks to the suffering of enslaved African American women. Source: annne / Adobe Stock

Exploiting Enslaved Women Propelled the Father of Gynecology to Fame

A monument of Dr. James Marion Sims stands in front of the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, eulogizing him as the “father of modern gynecology” and a “benefactor of women.” But Sims has also...
Acai berries staining a hand. Source: Imago Photo / Adobe Stock

Acai Berries: Uncovering a Historic Amazonian Nutritional Powerhouse

You’ve probably heard of the acai berry before. This small, purple fruit is incredibly common nowadays in fruit bowls and smoothies, but did you know it actually has a long and fascinating history?...
Selection of urine flasks and bottles found at the disposal site at the Ospedale dei Fornari. Source: Caesar’s Forum Project/Antiquity Publications Ltd

Renaissance Era Medical Dump Includes Urine Flasks For Tasting Pee!

A team of researchers from Denmark and Italy have stumbled upon a treasure trove of artifacts at an ancient Roman hospital site in Rome brimming with medical supplies. This Renaissance-era trash dump...
Representational image of a child mummy. Child mummies have been scanned to reveal the prevalence of anemia in ancient Egyptian children. Source: Mary Harrsch / CC BY-SA 4.0

Why Did So Many Ancient Egyptian Children Suffer Anemia?

In a “first-of-its-kind” fascinating osteoarchaeological study, scientists have found that anemia was common in ancient Egyptian children who had been mummified . Through the use of CT scans, it was...
Some of the comprehensive set of Roman medical tools discovered in doctors tomb in Hungary. Source: ELTE BTK

Physician’s Tomb Holds Comprehensive Set of Roman Medical Tools

Some two thousand years, an ancient Roman physician made a trip to Hungary, for unknown reasons, and now, archaeologists have found his tomb near Jászberény, a city located approximately 50 miles...
Throughout history probiotic bacteria has been used to attain good health, even if ancient cultures did not yet understand the science behind why they worked. Source: Dr_Microbe / Adobe Stock

Medicinal Microbes of Our Ancestors: Tracing the History of Probiotics

In order to understand the history of probiotics, one needs to imagine a time before modern medicine , when people looked to nature to heal their ailments. Many ancient civilizations consumed...

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