Historical Bloodletting For over two thousand years, bloodletting was a standard treatment for almost any ailment, including infectious diseases. In an attempt to alleviate symptoms, bloodletting practitioners used various instruments to withdraw blood from patients, including syringes, lancets, and even leeches.
Antibiotics are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria, but even some bacterial infections get better without antibiotics. We rely on antibiotics to treat serious, life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis, the body's extreme response to an infection.
Traces of antibiotics were found in human skeletons from ancient times dating back to 350 – 550 CE. In the ancient Egyptian era, molds and plant extracts were used to treat infections. However, until the 19th century, it was not known that such infections were caused by microbes, particularly, bacteria.
Everyone associates Alexander Fleming with penicillin. It was in September 1928 at St Mary's Hospital Medical School that he noticed stray mould growing on a plate of bacteria, and around the Penicillium mould was a clear area where the bacteria had been killed.
Bloodletting was used as a medical therapy for over 3,000 years. It originated in Egypt in 1000 B.C. and was used until the middle of the 20th century. Medical texts from antiquity all the way up until 1940s recommend bloodletting for a wide variety of conditions, but particularly for infections.
For over two thousand years, bloodletting was a standard treatment for almost any ailment, including infectious diseases. In an attempt to alleviate symptoms, bloodletting practitioners used various instruments to withdraw blood from patients, including syringes, lancets, and even leeches.
Before the discovery of antibiotics, there was nothing much anybody could do. Streptococcus pyogenes caused half of all post-birth deaths and was a major cause of death from burns. Staphylococcus aureus was fatal in 80 percent of infected wounds and the tuberculosis and pneumonia bacteria were famous killers.
Arsenicals and sulphonamides, drugs made by chemical tinkering with synthetic dyes, as well as a number of disinfectants made with metal ions toxic to bacteria, such as mercury or copper, were in use well before the introduction of penicillin.
A 1,000-year-old natural remedy made from onion, garlic, wine and bile salts has shown antibacterial potential, with promise to treat diabetic foot and leg infections, new research published Tuesday suggested.
Honey. Honey tops the list of antibiotics and is known for its extensive healing properties. The presence of hydrogen peroxide in honey exhibits strong antibacterial properties. In addition, the high sugar content thwarts the growth of bacteria.
Antibiotics Are Only Effective Against Bacterial Illness
“Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial illnesses, and over-prescribing antibiotics can render these drugs useless in the long run.”
Apple cider vinegar has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-septic and anti-fungal properties. This means that any ailment that comes from a bacterial, viral or fungal origin can be treated with apple cider vinegar.
Pineapples – Our favorite tropical fruit contains the enzyme bromelain, which has a healing antibiotic effect when ingested. Move over cranberries, pineapples also help fight infections.
Many infections will be self-contained and resolve on their own, such as a scratch or infected hair follicle. Other infections, if left untreated, can become more severe and require medical intervention.
The average life expectancy at birth was 47 years (46 and 48 years for men and women respectively) even in the industrialized world. Infectious diseases such as smallpox, cholera, diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid fever, plaque, tuberculosis, typhus, syphilis, etc. were rampant.
Treatments over the centuries have also included bloodletting, as well as drugs derived from herbs with emetic, purgative, diaphoretic, or narcotic properties.
The condition can arise suddenly and progress quickly, and it's often hard to recognize. Sepsis was once commonly known as “blood poisoning.” It was almost always deadly. Today, even with early treatment, sepsis kills about 1 in 5 affected people.
One hundred years ago, before antibiotics, there was no effective treatment for either gonorrhea or syphilis. Treatment for gonorrhea was largely symptomatic, and for syphilis was use of toxic metals, such as arsenic.
Is There an Over the Counter Antibiotic Like Amoxicillin? Amoxicillin is a type of penicillin, so if you need an alternative antibiotic, there are other options with a prescription. However, there are no over the counter alternatives to Amoxicillin.
Bloodletting was widely used to treat febrile illnesses and practiced by Galen and some other ancient physicians. This was based on the notion of plethora, a theory that attributed disease to congestion of blood in part of the body.
Without new antibiotics, common infections and minor injuries could become life-threatening and major surgeries and chemotherapy impossible because the treatments we have been using for years are no longer effective.
The most common cure for maladies was an amulet and a magic spell to modify the incorrect behaviour that had caused the illness in the first place. By the fifth century B.C., Egyptian doctors had their own specialization. Most of the doctors were men and, within their ranks, there was a hierarchy.