8 Popular Old Medical Practices before Modern Medicine

There is no wonder that modern medical practices have augmented over the years. Nevertheless, you will be astonished to know that there are some old medical practices that were used in ancient medicine way before modern medicine came into force. Some primal medicine treatments haven’t changed and the fact that they are still used radically in modern medicine. Let’s have a look at some of the ancient medicine discoveries.

List of Old Medical Practices

1. Aspirin
   3,500 years ago, willow bark was used by the Egyptians, as conventional medicine for pain relief. Around the mid-18^th century, the scientist reformed the willow bark into ‘salicin’ as a medical compound. It wasn’t until the 20^th century that salicin was transformed into acetylsalicylic acid, which is commonly called ‘’aspirin’’.
   Perhaps aspirin is the most widely used compound in the modern era of medicine. It is used as antipyretics and analgesics by doctors. It is also used in the treatment of secondary heart attacks and in the treatment of certain types of cancer.
2. Cataract surgery
   If you believe that the eyes were too feeble, for the primal doctors to poke into, you’d be absolutely mistaken. During the 6^th century, the traditional cataract surgery was performed which was known as couching. And until the second world war, the technique for replacing the eye’s natural lens with artificial ones was invented by the ophthalmologist. In modern cataract surgery, femtosecond lasers are being used for precision in surgery.
3. Sutures
   The history of sutures is very old, it started thousands of years ago. It was started in 500 BC by an Indian physician, Sushruta, who performed several surgeries and determined various sutures. Different types of sutures were made over the centuries starting from silk & flax sutures to antiseptic sutures. Today, silk sutures are still available but sutures composed of nylons, polypropylene is rather preferred by doctors.
4. Morphine
   Morphine is obtained from the poppy plant and is the most important ingredient of ‘opium’. Morphine became extremely popular in the 1850s with the discovery of a hypodermic syringe. Till today, morphine remains one of the most commonly used drugs for pain relief.
5. Tracheostomy
   Tracheostomy is the most important procedure in history. During the 1800s, this procedure became massively famous and it was widely accepted by medical professionals. All these years, tracheostomy was majorly used for bypass airways obstruction. By the 20^th century, it was also used for different purposes, for instance; delivering oxygen to the lungs.
6. Leech Therapy
   Isn’t it surprising that leech therapy still exists?. Leeches were used in bloodletting around 800 BC. Presently, leeches are used in stimulating blood circulation following skin grafting surgery. The saliva of leech contains an enzyme that acts as an anticoagulation compound. Leeches may sound ancient for medicinal purposes but it’s approved by FDA to clear out the blood pool post-surgery.
7. Trepanation
   It is believed that in early times, this method was used as malpractice as well for the treatment of severe headaches and seizures by drilling holes in the skull. This method is still used by neurosurgeons but for a completely different purpose. Nowadays, trepanation is used by the doctors for treatment of epidural and subdural hematomas.
8. Caesarean Section
   The very commonly used procedure which you can see today is not so modern in real. This practice of delivering children is going on for centuries. Ages ago, C-section was performed as a last option to save the lives of the mother and the child. However, today this procedure is commonly used for the safety of mother and child.

It’s important to note that these old medical practices were based on the understanding and limited scientific knowledge available at the time. Over the centuries, medical knowledge and practices have evolved, leading to more effective and evidence-based treatments.

When talking about modern medicine practices, you can see how far we have come. The scientific advancements over the years in the field of medicine have been commendable. One such treatment technique involves Stem cells therapy. Stem cell therapy and regenerative medicines have completely transfigured the stage of modern medicine in the treatment of the deadliest diseases. This technique has sparked a revolution in the field of therapeutics by utilizing primary cells for the treatment of diseases.