Posted on 02/18/2006 1:35:16 AM PST by SunkenCiv
The patient was among those sent north by Clazomenae, a Greek city in Ionia, to establish a colony at Abdera around 654 B.C. She was successfully treated--a difficult operation performed by a master surgeon saved her--and lived for another 20 years. Her remains, which were excavated at Abdera by Eudokia Skarlatidou of the Greek Archaeological Service and which I have had the privilege to study, provide incontrovertible evidence that two centuries before Hippocrates drew breath, surgical practices described in the treatise On Head Wounds were already in use.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
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How Leonardo gave top surgeon change of heart
London Times | 9/28/05 | Dalya Alberge
Posted on 09/29/2005 6:49:35 PM PDT by wagglebee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493957/posts
I wonder what was used to sedate the patient or if there even was something that could be used.
Thanks for the article.
Impressive article. It seems an awful lot of information was last during the millenia after 1BC
There was the old classic, "stunning with smoke", and herbal methods, some of which involved burning them. I'd guess that something was used when the patient was conscious to start with, and nothing (or not much) when the patient wasn't. :')
ancient medicine ping!
Coleus, sorry, I meant to ping you.
Thanks and you're welcome to Emmalein and FastCoyote. :')
Sunken_Civ has already pointed out the herbal smoke inhalation method..
This was used with either hemp (marijuana ! ) or with opium.. Both of these drugs could also be injested if the patient was conscious..
A couple of others I might mention would be the "black lotus" ( of "The Odyssey" ) and Cocaine or a close relative.. ( something very closely resembling cocaine was found in mummies in Egypt.. It is thought that it might have come from a plant relative of the Coca plant, but that it is now extinct or no longer known for it's properties..)
Cocaine can be used as a "local" anasthetic..
I would also guess there were other plants and herbs in use at the time, used in tincture form, tea, oils, salves, pastes, or other forms, full strength, diluted to desired strength, or mixed with other herbal drugs..
Another interesting possibility is Fly Agaric, thought to be the fabled "Soma" of Indian legend...
It might have been able to create an euphoric state in which the patient experienced the pain in other forms of experience... ( Fly Agaric is a strong hallucinagenic )
that is one of the neatest articles ive read in a long time!
Cocaine or a close relative.. ( something very closely resembling cocaine was found in mummies in Egypt.. It is thought that it might have come from a plant relative of the Coca plant, but that it is now extinct or no longer known for it's properties..)The plant found in the mummies was cocaine, which means the Egyptians had a source. I figure it was that guy in "Blow".
:') Thanks.
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Seems as though that would have caused even more damage./s
thanks
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