History of Anatomy

The history and development of Anatomy is a wide subject due to the fact that so many people from all over helped contribute to it. The first form of dentistry was dated back to 7000 BC. Tooth pains were cured by beadsman who carefully drilled the tooth (Donelson Christian Academy Anatomy & Physiology, 2009). These skills are still used today but of course with modern technology. We have come a long way since 7000 BC and the story of how we got here is lead by some of the most talented people and their interesting discoveries.

It is believed that the Egyptians were the first to mummify their dead but there is evidence of Chinchorro Indians in Peru actually starting to mummify in 6000 BC (Donelson Christian Academy Anatomy & Physiology, 2009). Egyptians didn't start to practice this until 4000 BC. Even though it was a full 2000 years later they still remain the most famous for it. Egyptians were the first believed to have physicians. Priests and doctors were taught in temples and learned from the anatomy of bodies through the mummification process (Donelson Christian Academy Anatomy & Physiology, 2009). Beginning in 3000 BC the emperor of China, Shen Nong, started exploring herbal medicine for illnesses. One is being a type a tea which only the Chinese knew the correct ingredients for (Donelson Christian Academy Anatomy & Physiology, 2009). This was just simply exploring what the body had in it not until later people started question why the body works the way it does.

To tell the history of Anatomy you have to start with the birth of Biology. The first person who significantly contributed is considered to be Alcmaeon from Crotona back in the 5th century. He was the first to practice dissection in his researches. Crotona was famous for its Pythagorean scholars but he himself was not known to be included. He was interested in finding the whereabouts of human intelligence but happened to stubble upon the first discoveries in the field of Anatomy. The heart was believed to be the place of intelligence even by Aristotle but Alcmaeon figured that since blows to the head can damage the mind the brain is where intelligence must lay. He proceeded in finding the passages linking the brain with the eyes (the optic nerves) and the back of the mouth with the ears (eustachian tubes) (http://www.historyworld.net). This is a huge leap in science at that time.

In the 3rd century two surgeons in Alexandria, Herophilus and Erasistratus developed the first scientific studies to discover the human Anatomy. They required much of their information on convicted criminals which was greatly debated in that time. A Roman writer of medical history even tried to justify the suffering of criminals to possibly gain the information needed to save future innocent lives. As time went on new ways were found to gain knowledge of the human body without harming humans themselves. For example in the 2nd century a Greek doctor by the name