The 5,000-year-old Iceman discovered frozen in the Alps may have treated
his gallstones, Lyme disease, and hardening of the arteries with the 61
tattoos that covered his body--most of which matched acupuncture
points--and the walnut-sized pieces of fungus he carried on his belt.
The herbal medicines chamomile and yarrow have been found on
50,000-year-old teeth, and neatly bored holes in prehistoric skulls show
that Neolithic surgeons relieved pressure on the brain (or attempted to
release evil spirits) at least 10,000 years ago. From Mesopotamian
pharmaceuticals and Ancient Greek sleep therapy through midwifery,
amputation, bloodletting, Renaissance anatomy, bubonic plague, and
cholera to the discovery of germs, X-rays, DNA-based treatments and
modern prosthetics, the history of medicine is a wild ride through the
history of humankind.