Throughout the epic journey of mankind, there is only one constant companion, and that is death. We have overcome many challenges and made great progress, but today we continue to fight death or try to cheat it.
Our main weapon is drugs, which allow us to fight back and buy us time to protect ourselves. With the advancement of modernity, advances in science and technology have helped medicine develop and become more precise and groundbreaking.
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors had to face a very different earth, one with a very harsh environment. People are vulnerable to disease and threats from other people. However, they did not succumb to disease and death without fighting. We know this thanks to Ötzi Man, the oldest and best-preserved corpse in history in the world.
Discovered in 1991, the Ötzi died more than 5,300 years ago. He is vital to medical science as his body heals signs of previous injuries. They even found his small first aid kit, which contained organic medicines. Man works with what is available in his environment, including leaves, bark, herbs, and more importantly, he fights death.
Eventually, these natural remedies were abandoned, and in the last century, scientists began to develop synthetic drugs to treat diseases. However, to discover more remedies, we should always look to nature. For example, the berries of the Brazilian pepper tree could be the next big thing in treating infections. Traditional and Indigenous peoples have been discovering the compendium of natural remedies in their regions for centuries. Might be time to study them and see what we can use.
Formal medical practice began in the teaching hospitals established in ancient Greece. They are guided by priests so that the gods can heal them. But in the end they provided the structure and process for the trial-and-error treatment of disease that doctors and hospitals still use today.
When the Middle Ages came, we didn’t know how the human body worked. Over the next few centuries, the world was ravaged by the Black Death and many other epidemics and epidemics. This changed in the 17th century with the advent of the first microscopes. A whole new little world opened up, culminating in the discovery in the 1880s by German physician Robert Koch of the bacteria that caused tuberculosis, anthrax, and cholera.
He proved the germ theory of disease correct, turning the tide of medical history. It has led to vaccines that have helped reduce infant mortality and eradicate or control many of these diseases.
Today, the struggle against disease and death continues. Technology continues to improve, allowing us to diagnose and administer medicines faster than ever. Throughout history, we have many people to thank, pioneers who seized the opportunity to learn how to cure disease so we can continue to defeat death.
Directed by: Simon George, Niall MacCormick, Celso R. García
