In ancient Greece, cancer, as a disease, was diagnosed by doctors and suggested for treatment.
But their understanding of medicine and human body is very different from that of doctors today.
First of all, black bile is no longer involved. The earliest known cancer case was found in a human foot bone in South Africa.
This bone can be traced back to 6.5438+0.6 million years to 6.5438+0.8 million years ago, and shows signs of an invasive cancer called osteosarcoma.
However, the oldest written description of cancer comes from ancient Egypt.
Eight cases of breast tumor or ulcer were described in Edwin Smith papyrus.
Because papyrus is a part of surgical treatment, it is suggested to remove tumors by cauterization, which is the oldest surgical literature in the world.
Written in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics around 1600 BC, the anatomical observation, examination, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of 48 medical problems are described in detail.
As the picture shows, the 6th and 7th editions of papyrus discussed facial trauma.
However, the word itself was coined long after the classical period.
Greek doctor Hippocrates is considered as the father of western medicine.
Hippocrates used the Greek terms "crab" and "cancer" to describe non-ulcer tumor and ulcer tumor respectively.
These terms come from observation that when a solid malignant tumor is removed, it has a finger-like projectile that spreads in all directions.
Moreover, the tumor is hard, like a crab shell.
Therefore, the signs of disease remind people of the image of crabs.
Greek was later translated into Latin by Celso, a Roman medical writer, and became cancer.
Lawrence OP/CC by NC 2.
0) Hippocrates explained the function of human body with humor theory.
According to this theory, the human body consists of four different types of liquids or body fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile.
In a healthy body, all four liquids are in equilibrium.
Therefore, the occurrence of diseases is caused by imbalance of body fluids.
For cancer, Hippocrates and other Greek doctors believed that excessive black bile caused fatal diseases.
If the spleen can't remove excess black bile, cancer may occur anywhere in the body.
By the way, humor theory has been the dominant medical theory in Europe for centuries, and its influence on medical knowledge continued until19th century.
Therefore, in the following centuries, excessive black bile was considered as the chief culprit of cancer, and doctors were treating patients.
(Mary Lan Ruan /CC BY 3.
According to the theory of body fluid, if the balance of four kinds of body fluids is restored, the disease can be cured, which can be achieved in many ways.
Some of these treatments are relatively harmless, including exercise, herbal treatment and changing diet.
More radical methods are bloodletting and purification, which may do more harm than good.
Regarding the treatment of cancer, ancient Greek doctors suggested that if cancer was in the early stage of development, patients should be provided with various medical solutions and drugs.
If the excess black bile cannot be removed, the next step is to surgically remove the tumor and then burn the surrounding area to avoid excessive bleeding.
A diet and exercise program aimed at improving patients' postoperative health, Greek doctors and patients, W.H.M.M gypsum (Welle Collection/CC BY 4.
Nevertheless, traditional doctors realize that those cancer patients have little chance of survival.
For example, Galen, a Greek doctor living in Rome, believes that cancer can't be cured. In addition to early tumor resection, intervention will cause further harm to patients.
(Public domain), above: Henryk Siemiradzki's Alexander of Macedonia Trust Doctor Philip (1870s).
Alexander is drinking a medicine prepared by his trusted doctor Philip. He has a high fever.
In ancient Greece, the theory of body fluids was used to treat diseases ranging from fever to cancer.