Medicine of times of ancient Scythians and

Slavs

QUESTIONS1. Where did Scythians live?2. In whose works were Scythians mentioned?3. Which historical monuments tell us about

Scythian medicine?4. On what basis did Scythian medicine grow?5. What was the most important tool of

Scythian medicine?6. Which curative plants did Scythians use?7. How did Scythian traditional medicine

decrease of toxic action of potent and poisonous plants?

8. What surgical methods of treatment were used by Scythians?

Of the ancient people occupying steppe southern lands, Scythians left after themselves many monuments. Scythians in the VII century BC occupied the Crimea and territory between Dnieper and Danube.

In the V-IV century BC the part of Scythian nomads starts to pass to residence. Scythians had commercial and cultural relations with the Greek cities colonies.

About Scythians we learn from excavation of numerous burial grounds, sites of ancient settlement across Dnieper, in the Crimea, from references of the Greek writers, in particular from works of the Greek historian Herodotus which visited our southern lands.

Them were mentioned in the works of Hippocrates, though he had never been in Scythia. Scythians, as well as the southern Slavic tribes, traded with Greeks cattle breeding products, furs, bread, simples, a tree, and received from them different craft products, life subjects, ware, ornaments.

Scythians had fixed knowledge concerning treatment of various diseases, as acquired by an empirical path, and mystical character.

During excavation of the Chertomlitsky barrow near Nikopol, the Kul-Obsky barrow near to Kerch gold and silver vases with the image of Scythians were found. On one of them Scythians who rendered medical assistance (bandaging of the bottom extremity, tooth extraction) are represented.

Some Scythians were familiar with medicine of antique Greeks, had larger medical practice in Athens (Anakharsis, Tomsaris).

Scythian medicine - traditional medicine. Throughout long centuries original, and in some cases quite original, Scythian medicine stored extensive experience of treatment of patients and prevention of diseases. And though it was considerably under religious influence that left on it the mark (in its arsenal near very valuable, the tools which expediency is very doubtful) appeared also, but nevertheless it is impossible to tell that the Scythian medicine was only sorcery.

As a whole the people in a hostile way fell into to sorcerers, them didn't believe in their medical abilities and sometimes they were even cruelly punished. It testifies that the Scythian medicine grew on the basis of immemorial experience and includes rationales.

Representatives of Scythian traditional medicine received the knowledge by immediate acquaintance to subjects of the environmental nature. Development of conditions of the material life was the main reason for medicine development.

The most important tool of Scythian medicine - phytogenic remedies. The settled Scythian population found a set of simples in connection with agriculture and life quite often from the woods, nomads - in connection with constants of a pasture of cattle.

Antique writers noted that shepherds opened a number of curative plants, and it was possible only thanks to long supervision over the tamed animals. Observing actions of plants on animals, they transferred the findings on the person.

Within long centuries the Scythian population studied a set of curative plants both wild, and grown up on kitchen gardens from which the significant amount didn't lose the value and today, not only in national, but also in scientific medicine. To take at least an adonis, a sweet root, a rhubarb, a plantain, not to mention an onion, garlic and many other plants.

Among curative plants in Scythian medicine there was a lot of potent and even poisonous. They also were used by Scythians for treatment. For decrease of toxic action of potent and poisonous plants Scythian traditional medicine added to them various impurities and broths.

Antique writers called only a small part of the medical plants used by Scythian traditional medicine. But they noticed that important fact that Scythians cultivated most valuable of them on plantations and carried them on all ancient the world as the goods.

In Scythian medicine means of an animal origin (castoreum, fats, brain) had wide application also. Scythian medicine did the know "pants", the valuable medical goods from the dried-up horns of a young spotty deer.

As to sanitary-and-hygienic actions it is necessary to emphasize special value steam «Scythian bath».

Scythian traditional medicine used since ancient times also surgical methods of treatment and here too reached the considerable successes. It from representation of the surgical help by a pet developed and went, apparently, only on treatment of bodies and fabrics, available cavities without opening. Such operations as repositions of dislocations, treatment of changes, cutting of abscesses and even amputation of extremities, not to mention an ejection of teeth, were usual at Scythians. At surgical treatment Scythians applied anesthetics, such as alcohol intoxication, opium, mandrake roots etc. Snake venom was applied to treatment. It should be noted that Scythian doctors, their remedies and methods made the impact on the Greek doctors, probably even, as on Hippocrates.

Mummification and embalming of the died were carried out by Scythians for considerably short time. The Scythian way of embalming was original and developed without influence of other cultures.

The medicine of Scythians processed many rational methods of treatment for all the time of the development, but there were in it also many irrational remedies and actions which hadn't something in common with scientific medicine, and in the rational part the medicine of Scythians went on the same way as Chinese medicine, Indian, Tibetan and medicine of other nations.

Slavs since ancient times occupied the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, the valleys of rivers Vistula, Dnieper, Dniester and their inflows. Through the southern steppe open spaces paths of many nomadic people lay with which east Slavs had to conduct fierce fight, defending the right to existence and the lands. Ancestors of Slavs lived in large settlements as numerous archeological excavations testify.

Their settlements were strengthened by earth shaft and ditches. During excavation of such sites of ancient settlement are found not only oddments of dwellings, but also traces of earthenware, forge and foundry crafts.

According to later chronicles, tribes of Slavs differed among themselves customs and a life, «имяху бо обычаи свои и закон отець своих и преданья, каждо свой нрав» (Lavrentyevsky chronicle). They were engaged mainly in agriculture, grew up crops, planted cattle, were engaged in hunting, fishery. To X century all of them were pagans.

As leading Supreme force glorified god of the sun, believed in existence of any supernatural entities which allegedly live in bogs, the woods, on fields, in sources, dwellings of people. Among these supernatural entities there were kind and malicious entities who could be installed in the person and cause various diseases. Already in those days among Slavs there were men and women whom it is better than others understood curative action of plants, were able to help at diseases and wounds. They were magicians, sorcerers, witch doctors.

The old Slavic religion had the ceremonies. Sanctuaries – wooden temples – were built routinely on coast of the rivers and lakes.

The Arab writer Al-Massoudi (the first half X century AD) writes that Slavs had a temple on the Black mountain which was surrounded by fine sources with healing waters. In the temple there was a big idol to whom made a sacrifice. Cult ceremonies, as well as at other ancient people, provided also actions of hygienic character.

Researchers of an ancient life of east Slavs consider that baths were a place of a cult of ancestors. About obligatory custom to use them the contract of Russia with Byzantium of 907 testifies, in which the right of Russes to use baths at visit of Constantinople was separately noted - «... и да творят им мовь (баню) елико хотят».

The Arab writer Ibn-Fadlan (XII century of AD) tell about Slavs: «I saw Russes when they arrived on the trading affairs. I didn't see (people) with more perfect bodies. They are similar to palm trees, they are blond, their faces are red, their body is white». The Greek historian of Leo Diakon writes about Svyatoslav's soldiers: «These are people brave to madness and strong».