Humanity has been treating "strange behavior" or mental illness since the stone age...Literally!! Evidence found through examination of skulls from the stone age revealed many skulls which had a hole cut in their skull and lived. The operation is called trephination. A stone instrument was used to cut away a circular section of a skull. It is believed the operation was preformed in order to release evil spirits causing problems in the mind. It was also common in the early periods for exorcisms to be preformed to make evil spirits. A shaman was a priest would recite prayers, insult the spirits, preform "magic", or made the person drink bitter drinks to coax the spirit out. If such techniques failed, they would whip or starve the person. It was all about the evil spirits to them. Now we know that strange behavior is a mental illness and not the evil demon.
In Greek and Roman times,500 B.C. to 500 A.D., it was taught that illness had natural causes. Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine, believed that mental illness was a brain disease. He further thought that it was caused by an imbalance of four fuids or Humors flowing through the body. The four fluids were yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm. He attempted to fix the imbalances.
During the middle ages, belief of demons became widely accepted again. There was a decline in trust of science.
In Greek and Roman times,500 B.C. to 500 A.D., it was taught that illness had natural causes. Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine, believed that mental illness was a brain disease. He further thought that it was caused by an imbalance of four fuids or Humors flowing through the body. The four fluids were yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm. He attempted to fix the imbalances.
During the middle ages, belief of demons became widely accepted again. There was a decline in trust of science.
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