Pathological medical history quiz time!

#pathtwitter #medicalhistory

1/ During the black plague, doctors use to think it was transmitted by:

2/ Verrucous carcinoma is a variant of Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Previous call Ackermans tumour, what other name has it been called?

3/ Bilharziasis (schistosomiasis) was first record by

4/ In ancient Mesopotamia, doctors often did this to make themselves more easily identifiable

Answers!

1/ Doctors use to think the plague was caused by bad smells known as "miasma". They would wear masks with long nose shaped like a beak that contain sweet-smelling herbs (?to ward off infection?!).

2/ Snuff dippers cancer.

Snuff was tobacco that was ground up and "snuffed" through the nose. Obviously, this is bad for you and in the 18th century, John Hill, a composer, actor, author and botanist (seriously) proposed a link to cancer. He was also interested in geology...

3/ Schistosomiasis was first record by ancient Egyptians ~5000 years ago and they called it "Aaa". Schistosoma haematobium eggs have also been found in mummies! Theodor Bilharz described it 1856.

4/ Ancient texts state that doctors shaved their heads so as to be easily identifiable. This practice apparently was adopted in Egypt and both men and women use to wear wigs (defeats the purpose of being identifiable?).

NB Chariots were not recorded in Asia minor till 1700 BC..

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