History of Medicine BSCI 493 February 27, 2008

A Brief History 2000 BC: Here, eat this root AD: That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer. 1850: That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion. 1920: That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill. 1945: That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin. 1955: Oops… bugs mutated. Here, take this tetracycline – 1999: 39 more “oops”. Here, take this more powerful antibiotic! 2000: The bugs have won! Here, eat this root.

Plants for Medicine 2700 BC: Emperor Shennung: earliest study of herbal medicine BC: Ebers papyrus written. 370 – 285 BC: Theopharastus summarizes all information on plants; classified plants according to size. 77 AD: Dioscorides publishes DeMateria Medica. 1440: Printing invented; the “Herbals” started. 1600’s: Germany is the center of botanical activity – 1778: The Linnean Period. The sexual system of classifying plants and the Latin binomial is used. 1785: Williams Withering publishes “An account of the foxglove and some of its medicinal uses.” The first scientific paper on folk medicine! Late 1800’s – early 1900’s: Isolation of purer drugs from natural sources, such as early morphine (1816), strychnine (1817), atropine (1819), quinine and colchicine (1820). 1899: The German company Bayer is the first to commercialize a synthetic drug based on an early remedy: aspirin. Late 1900’s: beginning of the era of drug discovery based on naturally occurring substances and herbal remedies.

Why the increasing interest in “natural medicines”? Dissatisfaction with conventional medicines Increasing self-medication Interest in preventative medication Concerns about side effects of conventional medicines Consumer preference for natural products Increasing documentation of their effectiveness.

Cost: Pharmeceuticals vs. Botanicals* Cholesterol –Mevacor: $1.92 –Garlic: $0.56 Sleep aid –Halcion: $0.89 –Valerian: $0.14 Prostate medication –Porscar: $2.17 –Saw palmetto: $0.86 Topical ointment –Zostrix: $15.50 –Cayenne & lanolin: $0.05 Cost per day as of March 8, data copyright 1995, Peggy Brevoort, East Herb Herb Inc.

References David M. Eisenberg, Ronald C. Kessler, Cindy Foster, Frances E. Norlock, David R. Calkins, and Thomas L. Delbanco. Unconventional Medicine in the United States -- Prevalence, Costs, and Patterns of Use. New England Journal of Medicine Jan 28, 1993; 328(4): Students are responsible for only the abstract for this journal.