Again, my name is Jesse Shepherd and my web project is called, The History of Medicine.

 

Project page     
mailto:jesse.h.shepherd-1@ou.edu

The history of medicine is a subject that I have a great interest in.  In recent years, the study of the human body, anatomy and physiology, has been relatively easy for researchers.  Technology has given the world amazing machines; such as the x-ray, MRI, CAT scan and many, many more.  Researchers are now able to study the human body, inside and out, sometimes without even requiring to break the skin.  The technology that is used today is a conglomeration of the research that has been done, not only for the past few centuries, but for thousands of years.

            With the availability of the internet, books and even television, it is relatively easy to find information about the human body.  If we have an interest or a question, we can often find the answer without even leaving the comfort of our home.  If we want to see a particular part of the body, the amounts of pictures that are available from different sources are growing infinite.  However, it is easy to forget that this availability of knowledge was not always present.  This knowledge that is found at our fingertips is a knowledge that has been fought for through time.  There have been times throughout history when people could be arrested, severely punished or even executed for their research on the human body.  We currently have strong debates between the beliefs of religion and science; however, we are now able to choose our point of view, one or the other.  Still today, wars are being fought over religious beliefs.  In past centuries, society has faced these same problems researchers have been limited as to what and how they can study according to religious beliefs. 

            In this project, I would like to expand my knowledge about the transitions of medical knowledge throughout history.  I would like to look deeper into some of the past eras in history and gain a better understanding of what the circumstances that surrounded research were.  In my research, I will be studying three different episodes in history.  I will look at the life and research of Hippocrates, perhaps the most famous researcher of ancient medicine or that the world has ever seen.  From the work of Hippocrates, I would like to transgress in to medieval medicine, with a brief look at the work of Constantine the African and the methodology of his medical practices.  Also, I would like to research the work of Andreas Vesalius, whom is often referred to as the founder of modern human anatomy. 

            I would like to be able to use this research project as an opportunity to learn, not only about the history of medicine, but the history of science, philosophy and religion of the ancient world to present.  It is amazing that these great minds of far distant history were able to design such imaginative explanations about how the world and the human mind and body work.  I am interested to find the roots of the medical field and visit a few of the eras that were essential in creating the medial practice of today.