Abstract:The purpose of this review article is to summarize the views presented in the Hippocratic Corpus of Medicine regarding injuries of the spine, their effect on the spinal cord and the optimal treatment modulus. It is shown that the treatment dilemmas of ancient times in these injuries remain modern since Hippocrates suggested that conservative treatment and letting nature take its course is preferable over a devastating surgical treatment if the spinal cord structural integrity is not compromised. There is also … Show more
“…Additionally, he created some principles for spine management that were observed for centuries, including the concept that some maneuvers could worsen the prognosis. [11][12][13] Galen (129e200 AD) was the first to perform several anatomic experiments, including early studies on the effects of transection of the spinal cord. Combining the medical heritage of the Hippocratic, Alexandrian, and ancient medical schools in his studies, he was able to describe the specific loss of function below the level of transection.…”
The description of paraplegia is considered a milestone in the history of neurology. The Egyptians provided excellent descriptions of spinal cord injuries, the Bible has several references to paraplegia, and, more recently, the pioneers of neurology described the classic syndromes related to spinal injuries and paraplegia. Here, we describe an ancient observation by the Assyrian people of paraplegia in an animal. In ancient Assyria, lion hunting was a ritualized activity conducted for political and religious purposes. The Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, a series of Assyrian palace reliefs from the North Palace at Nineveh dating from approximately 645 BCE, which is now in the British Museum in London, UK, shows King Ashurbanipal hunting lions. Applying modern knowledge of mammalian dermatomes to the images, we reveal a detailed and precise observation of paraplegia after spinal cord injury.
“…Additionally, he created some principles for spine management that were observed for centuries, including the concept that some maneuvers could worsen the prognosis. [11][12][13] Galen (129e200 AD) was the first to perform several anatomic experiments, including early studies on the effects of transection of the spinal cord. Combining the medical heritage of the Hippocratic, Alexandrian, and ancient medical schools in his studies, he was able to describe the specific loss of function below the level of transection.…”
The description of paraplegia is considered a milestone in the history of neurology. The Egyptians provided excellent descriptions of spinal cord injuries, the Bible has several references to paraplegia, and, more recently, the pioneers of neurology described the classic syndromes related to spinal injuries and paraplegia. Here, we describe an ancient observation by the Assyrian people of paraplegia in an animal. In ancient Assyria, lion hunting was a ritualized activity conducted for political and religious purposes. The Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, a series of Assyrian palace reliefs from the North Palace at Nineveh dating from approximately 645 BCE, which is now in the British Museum in London, UK, shows King Ashurbanipal hunting lions. Applying modern knowledge of mammalian dermatomes to the images, we reveal a detailed and precise observation of paraplegia after spinal cord injury.
“…In the 5th and 4th centuries bc in ancient Greece, Hippocrates described SCI caused by dislocation of vertebrae in his text On Joints, noting a poor prognosis, including severe neurological complications and a high rate of mortality, but arguing that conservative treatment can work for some mild cases. 4,5 Management of SCI remained challenging through the 19th century. The medieval surgeon Theodoric Borgogni (1205-1296/8) described the classification of SCI as partial or complete injury based on the neurological examination, noting the important influence on prognosis and death.…”
Significant advancements in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) were developed in the setting of military conflicts, partly due to the large numbers of injuries sustained by service members. No effective SCI treatment options existed into the early 20th century, and soldiers who sustained these injuries were usually considered untreatable. Extensive progress was made in SCI treatment during and after World War II, as physical therapy was increasingly encouraged for patients with SCI, multidisciplinary teams oversaw care, pathophysiology was better understood, and strategies were devised to prevent wound infection and pressure sores. Recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused a substantial rise in the proportion of SCIs among causes of casualties and wounds, largely due to new forms of war and weapons, such as improvised explosive devices. Modern military SCIs resulting from blast mechanisms are substantively different from traumatic SCIs sustained by civilians. The treatment paradigms developed over the past 100 years have increased survival rates and outcomes of soldiers with SCI. In this paper, the authors review the role of military conflicts in the development of therapeutic interventions for SCI and discuss how these interventions have improved outcomes for soldiers and civilians alike.
“…Spinal pathology and deformities had also a prominent position in his work, and he devised an extension bench for their correction. 13 Congenital dislocations of the arm, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, clubfoot, congenital clavicle fractures, and thumb malfunctions were all discussed in his writings. 14 Figure 2.(A) Hippocrates of Kos.…”
Greece, one of the oldest civilizations of the world, fundamentally contributed to the establishment and evolution of medicine and surgery. Undoubtedly, the foundations of the orthopaedic science are dated back to antiquity. The journey of the orthopaedic art was inaugurated with the poems of Homer and incarcerated through the practices of Hippocrates and Galen. Their deep knowledge of the musculoskeletal conditions and their treatment was generously bequeathed to humanity. This heritage acted as the catalyst for the establishment of orthopaedics in the modern Greek era. In this article, we tried to illustrate the evolution of the orthopaedic art in Greece from antiquity to modern times, reviewing the available evidence from scientific articles, books, historical manuscripts, old newspapers, and biographies. We summarize the most important events, and we identify the pioneers that shaped this new surgical branch, creating the modern Greek orthopaedic discipline.
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