This document provides an overview of the history and evolution of medicine. It describes how medicine originated from primitive practices involving supernatural beliefs. It then discusses the development of early systems of medicine in places like India, China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Key figures that advanced medical knowledge are highlighted from each era, such as Susruta, Hippocrates, Galen, Ibn Sina, and Pasteur. Major milestones like the germ theory of disease and advances in preventive medicine through vaccination are also summarized. The document concludes by describing the modern fields of curative, preventive, and social medicine.

1. Introduction To
Community Medicine
Dr. Rahul Netragaonkar
Professor
Dept. Of Community Medicine

2.  THE SCIENCE OR PRACTICE OF THE
DIAGNOSIS
TREAMENT &
PREVENTION OF DISEASE.
MEDICINE

3. HISTORY OF MEDICINE
 Medicine man, priest, herbalist & magician
took various ways to cure or give relief to sick.
 Medical knowledge has been derived to
present extent by the observations and
experiences of different fields of medicines.

4. PRIMITIVE MEDICINE
 Medicine was conceived in SYMPATHY
and born out of NECESSITY.
 The reasons behind the sickness were
SUPERNATURAL AGENTS like gods,
holy people AND ghosts.
 Members of primitive medicine never
distinguished Medicine, Man, Religion.

5.  It’s practice has been traced 10,000yrs
back and is still practiced in remote
areas of ASIA, AFRICA & SOUTH AMERICA.
 In this present world use of house
hold remedies with out knowing
how they act & cure.

6. INDIAN MEDICINE
AYURVEDA and SIDDHA systems of
medicine are truly Indian in origin.
Unani – Tibb system ( Greek Medicine )
Homoeopathy system ( Germany )

8. It implies “KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE” OR
“KNOWLEDGE BY WHICH LIFE
MAY BE PROLONGED”
AYURVEDA
Dated back to 5000 BC and is developed from
“ATHARVAVEDA”
TRIDOSHA THOERY has 3 DOSHAS / HUMORS
VATA – wind
PITTA - gall
KAPHA - mucous

9. BIRTH OF DHANVANTARI

10. Dhanvantari, God of Ayurveda, appears as Vishnu,
holding medical herbs in one hand.

11. • Dhanvantari, the physician of gods, who
appeared at the churning of the ocean is
worshipped by the physician-community.
• He is the father of Indian science of medicine
& Ayurveda is attributed to him.
• He is also called sudhapani, because he
appeared from the ocean, carrying nectar in his
hands.

15. Lord Surya
• Lord Surya is the ruler of all planets that rotate around him.
Lord Surya is also known by other names like Savitar, Aditya,
and Ravi. He is the son of Sage Kashyap and Aditi. He is
described as Jagat Chakshu (Eye of the World), and Aharpati
(Lord of the Day). The sun's rays nourish and nurture life and
living beings. Hence, he is described as ‘Pranadata' or life-
giver.
Lord Surya is the guardian of the east. He blesses his devotees
with good health, fame, and prosperity. His ruling day is
Sunday. His gemstone is the red ruby, and gold is his metal.
The chariot of Lord Surya has only one wheel. It is drawn by
seven horses corresponding to the colors of the rainbow. The
charioteer of Lord Surya is Aruna, Lord Garuda's brother.

17. Ashwini Kumaras
• The ashwini kumaras are twins born as a result of
Sanjana & Surya (the sun) being together.
• At the moment of impregnation Sanjana has
assumed the shape of a horse.
• That is why this lunar constellation is called horse
woman.
• The twins appeared to have healing powers. They
have cured many mythological characters who
needed medical help. Therefore this constellation
has to deal with healing, with putting a halt to aging
process & with eternal youth.

18. ATREYA
( 800 BC )
FIRST GREAT INDIAN PHYSICIAN &
TEACHER

19. CHARAKA
(200 AD)
Mentioned about 500 Drugs in his Book
“CHARAKA SAMHITA” based on teachings
of ATERYA.

20. SUSRUTA
He compiled his
Surgical knowledge in
“SUSRUTA SAMHITA”
(800 BC-400AD)
“FATHER OF INDIAN
SURGERY”

21. INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

22. Early Indians did several
Surgeries.
British Physicians learned
Art of RHINOPLASTY
from
INDIAN SURGEONS

23. CHINESE MEDICINE
 It is based on two principles :-
YANG (active masculine principle )
YIN (negative feminine principle )
 Were early pioneers of IMMUNIZATION
practiced variolation for SMALLPOX.
 TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE WAS
DERIVED FROM OBSERVATIONS OF DISEASE
& ILLNESS BY TAOIST.

24. JIN DYNASTY PRACTITIONER HUANG WAS
ADVOCATE OF ACUPUNTURE
BAREFOOT DOCTORS :-
ACQUIRED LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT PLANTS & HERBS &
MADE MEDICINES BY
WANDERING UP HILLS & DOWN
DALES ON BARE FOOT.

25. Egyptians INVENTED PICTURE WRITING & RECORDED
THEIRWORKS ON PAPYRUS.
IMHOTEP–AUTHOR OF EDWIN SMITH
PAPYRUS (3000-2500 BC) In which he
describes partial paralysis following
Cerebral Lesions in skull fractures.

26. MESOPOTAMIAN MEDICINE
“ CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION ” – (6000 yrs ago)
Oldest medical prescription is from
MESOPTAMIA dating back to 2100 BC.

27. Babylonian King Hammurabi
issues the first written law
code, the Code of Hammurabi,
based on revelation from
Shamash, the god of justice.
It had Laws that governed the conduct of
physicians And provided for health practices.

28. Greek medicine
Civilizers of ancient world

29. EARLY LEADER IN GREEK MEDICINE
A
E
S
C
U
L
A
P
I
U
S

31. Asclepius
• Greek hero who later become the Greek god of
medicine and healing. The son of Apollo and Coronis,
Asclepius had five daughters, Aceso, Laso, Panacea,
Aglaea and Hygiea.
• The main attribute of Asclepius is a physician's staff
with an Asclepiad snake wrapped around it; this is
how he was distinguished in the art of healing, and
his attribute still survives to this day as the symbol of
the modern medical profession.

32. HYGIEA

33. He had two daughters : -
HYGIEA (goddess of health - preventive)
PANACEA (goddess of medicine - curative)
Thus dichotomy between
curative & preventive medicines
began early.
He is still cherished in
MEDICAL circles by this
Symbol of
medicine.

34. HIPPOCRATES (460 - 370 BC )
FATHER OF MEDICINE
 HIPPOCRATIC OATH IS
KEY STONE OF MEDICAL
ETHICS.
ALSO KNOWN TO BE AN
EPIDEMIOLOGIST.
“AIR,WATER & PLACES”
IS A TREATISE ON SOCIAL
MEDICINE & HYGIENE.

35. ALEXANDRIA’S MUSEUM
FIRST UNIVERSITY IN
THE WORLD – HAD A
LIBRARY WITH
OVER 70,000 BOOKS.

36. W.H.O

38. ROMAN MEDICINE
Romans borrowed their medicine from Greeks whom they
had conquered but were more practical.
G
A
L
E
N
He observed that
Disease is due to 3
Factors – Predisposing
exciting &
Environmental factors

39. MIDDLE AGES
THE PERIOD BETWEEN 500 - 1500 AD
THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD IS THEREFORE CALLED
“DARK AGES OF MEDICINE”
LEADERS IN ARABIC MEDICINE WERE
THE PERSIANS:
ABU BECR [865 - 925] –
RHAZES WROTE A BOOK ON
“CHILDREN’S DISEASES”

40. CONTRIBUTED TO PHARMACOLOGY.
INTRODUCED WIDE RANGE OF SYRUPS.
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY LEAD TO
ESTABLISHMENT OF HOSPITALS.
IBN SINA [980 - 1037] –
AVICENNA
COMPILED
“CANON OF MEDICINE”

41. DAWN OF SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE
THE PERIOD FOLLOWING 1500 AD WAS MARKED
BY REVOLUTIONS.
REVIVAL OF MEDICINE
PARACELSUS [1493 - 1541] - REVIVED MEDICINE.
FRACASTORIUS : “THEORY OF CONTAGION”
FOUNDER OF EPIDEMIOLOGY.
ANDREAS VASALIUS: PERFORMED DISSECTIONS.
AMBROISE PARE: “FATHER OF SURGERY”.

42. THOMAS SYDENHAM :
“FIRST DISTINGUISHED EPIDEMIOLOGIST”
WILLIAM HARVEY-
“BLOOD CIRCULATION”
LEEUWENHOEK -
“MICROSCOPE”

43. SANITARY AWAKENING
IN 19TH CENTURY THE GREAT CHOLERA
EPIDEMIC LEAD EDWIN CHADWICK TO
BRING FORTH PUBLIC HEALTH ACT - 1848
IN ENGLAND.

44. RISE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
JOHN SNOW : -
“EPIDEMIOLOGY OF
CHOLERA”
ESTABLISHED ROLE OF
POLLUTED DRINKING
WATER IN SPREAD OF
CHOLERA.

45. GERM THEORY OF DISEASE
LOUIS PASTEUR -
“GERM THEORY OF DISEASE”
ROBERT KOCH -
DISCOVERED
“ANTHRAX BACILLI”

46. BIRTH OF PREVENTIVE
MEDICINE
JAMES LIND - ADVOCATED
INTAKE OF FRESH FRUITS
AND VEGETABLES TO
PREVENT SCURVY.
EDWARD JENNER -
VACCINATION AGAINST
“ SMALLPOX”

47. CHOLERA VACCINE
[1892]
ANTI-TYPHOID VACCINE
[1898]
DIPHTHERIA ANTITOXIN
[1894]

48. FURTHER ADVANCEMENT
MODES OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION
MALARIA - FEMALE
ANOPHELES MOSQUITO
- ROSS [1898]
AFRICAN SLEEPING SICKNESS - TSETSE FLY - BRUCE [1896]
YELLOW FEVER - AEDES
- WALTER REED [1900]

49. MODERN MEDICINE
CONCEPT OF MULTIFACTORIAL CAUSATION
BY MUNICH [1819 - 1901]
MODERN
MEDICINE
CURATIVE
MEDICINE
PREVENTIVE
MEDICINE
SOCIAL
MEDICINE

50. CURATIVE MEDICINE: -
NOT MERELY TREATING THE DISEASE
BUT TO PRESERVE THE LIFE ITSELF AS
FAR AS IT COULD BE POSSIBLE.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE:-
ART OF SCIENCE OF HEALTH
PROMOTION, DISEASE PREVENTION,
DISABILITY LIMITATION &
REHABILITATION.

51. SOCIAL MEDICINE:-
DEALS WITH CARE OF PATIENTS,
PREVENTOIN OF DISEASE AND
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICAL
SERVICES & CARE.