Ancient Surgery Techniques | Repairing Wounds & Surviving Pain
In this video, Ancient Surgery, Repairing Wounds & Surviving Pain, Kevin Hicks paints a vivid picture of diverse methods of surgery as long as 6,000 years ago that aren't that different today. From the ancient wisdom of Sumeria to the care of Egyptian soldiers, we traverse the landscapes of ancient medicine, uncovering the innovative methods and remedies employed by these early cultures. Discover the treaties of Sushruta in ancient India, the approach to medicine in Greece, and the advanced medical practices of the Roman Empire.
Disclosure: Not for the squeamish, there will be blood.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
Sumerian prescription: ©Penn Museum
Egyptian mace: ©ancientmilitary.com
Egyptian archeologists: ©NBC News
Giant ant: From the book by G Majno, the Healing Hand
Dissolvable sutures: ayushyapatrika.com/blog/absorbable-suture-in-the-vedic-era/
Hippocrates: ©koulliasgroup.com
Caerleon amphitheatre: ©Dave Branfield
Caerleon Roman Fort: ©Skyscan via Alamy
Roman surgical clamps: ©Daegradtools.com
THIS is what I want to see on the history channel. Not some reality TV crap. THIS is the good stuff.
This reminds me of cable in the 90's when they had a lot of real educational and informative content.
It's essentially "Going Slow with Horrible Histories".
And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. - John 3:16 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. - Acts 3:19 If are in North America, please go check out any of the churches available to you: PCA, OPC, Rpcna/Rpc, Urcna, or a canrc church (These are conservative and actual Presbyterian churches) If you can’t find one of the conservative presby churches then, maybe a Lcms or Wels Lutheran church. If you are Scottish, I recommend the Free Church of Scotland and the APC. (Different from the Church of Scotland) If you are English I recommend the Free Church of England. (Different from the Church of England) Also online you can look up church finders for each of the groups and it will show you locations.
@@xinpingdonohoe3978🐪
@@movienerd202🐪
Im a surgeon who’s treated a fair bit of trauma. I find historical wound management fascinating.
i wonder how long its going to take for people to view modern surgery as an ancient method
@@fallsprig4581 year or two. 😉
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I read Guido Majno's work on ancient wound care. You just made those books come alive. You are a treasure.
23:46 u got wound suckers too 23:57
Oh yeah it's amazing that guys would operate with the shit and shmegma of war visibly on their hands and people still somehow survived.
12 years on KZhead and I’m amazed that I’ll still find awesome channels. Thank you KZhead recommendation.
The best history teacher on the internet. It's guys like Kevin that can still make someone be proud to be British.
I want him to do a video with Mark Felton. Two British historical geniuses
Felton has issues with accuracy... @@ericbooth3393
If I was a middle or high school teacher I'd be scrambling to find an excuse to show this in class and have a discussion with students about it afterwards. This video alone has the power to reshape the way ancient civilizations are viewed and is a much needed counterbalance in a world where arrant tripe like "Ancient Aliens" has been running for more than a decade!
hes canadian
I was lucky enough to meet him in person at a war museum in Saskatoon
Kevin reminds me why older people are wonderful. So much wisdom and experiences
He's vibrant with age. Sometimes they're just as dumb as they were young, only old now and cranky lol
Also we can’t be bothered with being ‘politically correct’ as they say nowadays ! .
Senior citizens are some of the most precious things we enjoy. They hold all of our wisdom.
Too right 👍🏻
@winterintheforest6242 Yep!! That's me!! I'm 61 and cranky. But I'm a huge fan of Kevin's and I do shoot Longbows, so I'm not all bad!! 🤣🤣. Dave.
Blood, gore and lore. This is why we love Kev.
Category: good to know, but hopefully I'll never need...
@chriscooke1302 😂👍I agree!
lol yeah
Indians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Romans all had amazing medical practices relative for their time. Much better than I expected before watching this video
Oj damn I did not even tjink India was that OLD man that makes india sound old af imo ngl.. like to think.. well odl what to think in all honesty... its just... stunning
@@bsanchez3563 India is very old. Infact they are considered one of the first civilizations. Along side The Nile Egyptians, The Yellow River Chinese, and ofcourse the Tigirs and Euphrates River Mesopotamians.
@@bsanchez3563 No, it's that old.
@@zaco-km3su o.o.. hehe man fwiw I just assumed like Mesopotamia, most of all China, were, the oldest place's peeps were. Well I mean specifically because I had heard how China is one of the most like thousands or many thousands of years old.
This reminds me of a paper my wife wrote on battlefield medicine from the French Revolution up to modern day. Once she started writing she went crazy with 200 pages. It was kinda of fuel by her own experiences in the ER as a Respiratory Care Technician which responded to nearly every trauma admission. An amazing bit of history and shows the advances in medicine thru the ages.
Has she published the paper?
I'd love to read her paper if it's available!
Well ?…….we’re waiting
Sorry fellas shes long gone 18 years ago.
Your wife is quite the multi tasker. While she was writing this paper she had me in her mouth. Swallowed too :)
The ancients were much smarter than theyre given credit for
Only by those who are foolish don't give them their credit.
+
People laugh today at attire from the 1920s while getting completely wet and cold in their tiny rain jackets... People laugh at the Germans of the Third Reich and say that they were all dumb and evil, but fail to understand that they were people like you and me, fearful of what the future may bring for them and trying desperately to pick the lesser evil... In Ancient Greece, an architect wrote a book lamenting the ignorance of barbarians and giving a list of examples, I see present-day architects fail on the regular because they think that they're better... (ignoring the angle of the sun and where you need it and where not, which side rain hits the most, prevailing winds, building on unstable ground...) A classmate of mine offed himself because he couldn't live with the shame of failing a repeatable exam... Meanwhile, my grandparents had no electricity, or running water, but knew hunger and cold on a daily base... And they experienced TWO post-war periods, WWII, three financial crashes, horrible crimes, etc. They weren't just tough, but they knew how to survive things most of us wouldn't be able to, even with a frigging manual at their disposal... (e.g. poaching and dressing game).
I still don’t know why people are surprised by what they knew and what they could do, every piece of knowledge comes from experience, either your own, or shared experiences with others, with such ancient civilisations it doesn’t amaze me at all with what they knew, otherwise they wouldn’t have survived and neither would we 😊
It's amazing how intelligent they were, especially in light of how medieval Europe was so far behind, or rather far less knowledgeable thousands of years later. It's like humanity went stupid and devolved over time. Kind of like current times and our dumbed down society.
If I’d had this guy for a teacher, I probably would have payed attention in school a good bit more. One of my favorite channels. Always great stuff and never disappointed.
Probably.
You, sir, are not alone!
You'd know about it if you were naughty XD
paid
Former English teacher here. Too much liability and censure hamper teaching today in rhe public school. You talk about blood and guts: next thing you know a parent says you traumatized their little student. You give a frank assessment of a certain culture or a religio, next thing you know you are accused ofbeing racist or elitis. If I was a parent today I would supplement his/her education withKevin’s presentations.
this channel should be compulsary in all schools
Great, thanks for watching and the sub. Both are appreciated 👍🏻
They are too busy indoctrinating the chirrin with political rubbish
The thorn suturing is pretty cool. I suture for a living and this honestly isn't THAT much different than what we do today. Granted we would numb it first, but the basic principles haven't changed much.
I think what makes this sort of topic so cool is that injuries, illness and dealing with pain are timeless parts of all human lived experience. That means when we cringe at how much a primitive medical procedure might have hurt, for example, we're empathizing directly with people who lived millennia ago.
Imagine how advanced medicine could be in the modern era if so much of this knowledge hadn’t been lost. It’s amazing to think about, and also quite a shame.
The lighthouse of Alexandria burning probably set us back a millennia. Grecian medics in Ptomeic times traveled to Alexandria to embalm because the desecration of cadavers in Greece was considered heretical.
Imagine the hubris of modern medicine to see “hey there’s a lot of stuff we can build off from here to advance the whole field” and they go “scoff, primitive, here take this drug to treat the drug we gave you to treat the symptoms of the drug we gave you because we misdiagnosed your sprained ankle as the flu”
It was never lost. It's harder to patent and sell for billions. Most people will take anything a doctor prescribes without question. For half the population that means anti depressants and other psych meds.
@@scottashe984Get out and take your BS with you.
@@shabathHes not wrong lmao
I am a retired anesthetist who did my residency in the military . Retired and then worked some on the outside. I thoroughly enjoyed this video.
Good to hear, thanks!
The gleam in his eyes as he talks about this stuff always makes me giggle 🤭 I get the feeling Kev enjoys making us squirm sometimes!
😜
This guy seems to be the only history channel covering the surgery techniques of the medieval and ancient world. My heal checks in DnD will be so much more descriptive for it!
This absolutely fascinating, I didn't realise the extent of surgical expertise in the ancient world. The fact that Romans had arterial clamps amazed me. Thanks for another great video, Kevin!
Yeah, I want to order some of those 😜
Have a look at what modern day India was doing. Plastic surgery for noses that have been cut off is one that comes to mind. here is a vid to start you off kzhead.info/sun/kq-lgc2jbYOEp40/bejne.html
Didn't know this either and I've watched hundreds of hours of Roman shit
@@Vicus_of_Utrecht Kevin always has a unique tidbit or two to add to our previous knowledge of history. 💡
Imagine the trial and error periods though
this gentlemen reminds me of my maternal grandfather, he was a history teacher that took it very seriously. he would teach classes in period clothing, had a massive collection of ancient Egyptian, medieval and renaissance weapons, functional muskets, etc. I hope to have such a wealth of knowledge to share with my Youngers as I age, for truly these are the best of our time whether we appreciate them consciously or not.
This is astounding. I remember hearing "Egyptians performed brain surgery" in class, but to see what they were capable of is humbling. We so often dismiss the ancients as cretins that just happened to be good at pyramid building...
We are still not sure just why they build the pyramids. We certainly do not have a clear knowledge just how they build such marvels. How did they transport all the stones, how they cut it, how they got the knowledge in first place...
Ancient civilizations were no cretins thats granted.Cretins were the first christians . They were slaves and that thing became part of the christian religion. Anything that was not "slavy" was sinful. It was the time when even sanitation and baths were abolished in europe.
@@Sim-903it’s incredibly easy if you understand physics at all. Literally just use a system of pulleys and levers to lift stone blocks onto a platform to drag it into place and repeat. You could figure it out with trial and error in just a few weeks if you put your mind to it. Also cutting stones isn’t exactly difficult, especially if there are other, harder materials just lying around.
@op pfft ai just know they hid gold and jewels an something like treasure... possibly accesible if one was determined enough and could think of a plan like pn gbc the game mario3 ie warioland somehow, more or less the same thing basically find an take whatever has been abandoned for thousands of years... well idk but it is obviously over a few hundred uears or something in age so its gotta be not still consodered wanted by somebody alive.. plus if ya try then ya could be filthy richby just wading through a lil quicksand wich unlike on tv I heard is not so menacing if ya do not flail about lol.. so no nig deal just wade over to the other side and use an extension cord or a rope better yet or something to just pull back out of it an keep going.. just make sure to know how many feet across it is so ya can have a idea of how many flashlight batteries to bring.. then its all perfectly lile well golden hehe.. if ya got the pun oh an fwiw where theres a will theres a way... just gotta be somebody in the same ocntinent as the pyramids an also within a feasible travel of it to go back home with the treasure etc.oh an also fyi if anybody does do that... plz lemme know what the treasure was if its even identifiable as being a clear object of some sort or whatever since I wanna know what it look like. Ooh I jave even better of an idea, tru filming it for a vlog to ut when ua get back home.
Except they didn't have the wheel yet, as per historians. They hadn't invented the wheel, and hadn't invented pulleys either due to that. And the stone you say wasn't hard to cut, is rose granite. It's literally the second hardest naturally occuring material. We cut granite counters with diamond coated blades today, because to cut a material you need a material that is more dense. The ancient world didn't have diamond coated electrical saws that we know of. You sound extremely ignorant on this subject, like someone who only knows the school book paragraph on it. Go spend some time learning structural engineering, then some higher mathematics. The great pyramid alone has around 2.3 million blocks, and they claim it was done in 20 years. That's cutting, transporting, lifting, and placing a multiton piece of granite every 2 minutes nonstop 24/7 to get it done in 20 years. It's not logistically possible to feed and house a workforce of that scale. The mines were 500 miles away from the build site I'll add. @@adomination1128
The suturing method is so interesting. I knew the Egyptians knew a lot about medicine in antiquity but this is pretty impressive for 1600BC.
Another great bit of historical education, thank you Mr Hicks.
Thanks for listening
What about the stitching the Mayans used ants mandibles to clamp down the flesh, snapping.the heads down as seen on apocalyptia
19 14. There we go, now how extensive research are you using ..😂😂😂 I wrote that as I watched then up it comes...impressive sir....impressive👌 , as always 😉🙏
😂@@Sol-Cutta
@@thehistorysquad I have few books on all this called ... The curious cures of old England - Nigel cawthorne. The age of agony - guy Williams Best two but sure I have others that I've not looked at so much...were these in your research ???
I am an archaeologist and i simply love your way of telling and presenting historical facts. Also, love your voice. that´s history well told.
That's so nice of you, thank 👍🏻
I'm a medical professional, and find stuff like this absolutely fascinating!!! there are some really awesome museums and exhibits about Civil War-era medicine around the US.
There’s nothing that beats a scientific/historic video with an informed and well-spoken educator
I love the reference to using large black ant heads for closing wounds! I am a veterinarian and didn't know of this procedure! Good review of ancient techniques. Thanks, Kevin !! 🐜
Believe it or not ant heads are still used to pull the skin together. Not widely and not in favor of modern methods. Indigenous tribes have been known to use it and it is also a bit of information that can be very handy for people who go out into the wilderness camping or hiking. Have n accident and use the ant heads to hold skin together while you hike out of there or wait on rescue. Of course a person would need to live in a place that has the type ant that can do this lol
When reading this comment I remembered this method was depicted in the movie Apocalypto. Nice to see confirmation that it was actually a thing.
They have done it in movies and numerous tv series
Fascinating. I am really grateful to have watched this. Thank you. I was reading a paper about natural medicine in Ireland. According to the article, early Irish physicians not only washed out wounds, but they also washed their hands before surgery. It's absolutely amazing how much our ancestors across the globe knew about practices that we wouldn't see again until the late nineteenth century.
Kevin I really enjoy your longer form videos. My wife and I like listening to your wisdom and experiences. Don’t get me wrong I like all your videos, long or short but I really enjoy listening to the detail that you explain things. You’re a one of a kind and keep on keeping on.
Cheers Jacob & Mrs B, I'll try 👍🏻
I know you will. But I get the feeling that you’re a natural entertainer. 🤙
Absolutely amazing. A fascinating insight into the ingenuity of ancient surgeons and medical practices. Brilliantly presented. Loved it.
Cheers Paul!
Though this is not from the Medieval Period,I would like to share something I read about years ago. Many medicines used daily here in the United States, are derived from the American Indian (' Native American '). A couple examples -Cough Syrup. It's active ingredients come from the bark of the Cherry Tree, used for thousands of years, prior to the arrival of the European, by Indian tribes. In fact, this is why, to this day, many over the counter cough syrups, you see stocked on the shelves at your local supermarket,are ' Cherry Flavor '. Another example is Aspirin. The Indians used the bark of the Willow tree,to treat headache. The active ingredient from Willow tree bark is used in the manufacture of aspirin. As for toothache, the Indians used the bark of another tree ( and it's name escapes me at this time). It not only brought on instant pain relief ( when placed in the mouth and moistened with saliva), but it also has natural antiseptic properties. In fact, to this day,the tree is colloquially called sometimes:' Toothache Tree '. The rough, rugged men who are known in American history as the ' Mountain Men ', used to carry with them a medicine pouch. Inside this rawhide leather bag would be various herbs and barks, all traditional Indian 'medicines '. The Mountain Men were a unique breed.They were rough. Bearded. Many wore the coonskin cap ( famously associated with Davy Crockett), living out in the harsh, rough untamed wilderness. But they were not necessarily uneducated bumpkins. Many spoke numerous languages - English, French, Spanish, German. As well as a few American Indian languages. That was a MUST, as the Mountain Men often interacted and traded with different Indian tribes. The Mountain Men learned from the Indians how to use various barks, plants and herbs as medicines. They respected the wisdom of those who had been living in this country for thousands of years prior to their own arrival.
a native american mixture i use often is called C-herb.. it is 100% organic, and works with your immune system. it's shocking how good it is.
Every place on Earth has medicine that helps the locals. Always been that way.
@@scottashe984 Except that my comments were specifically addressing the exact medicines that are today being used, taken from the ' medicine that helps the locals ', as you so eruditely put it.
@@scottashe984 I could have kept on going. I was going to mention the Early Pregnancy Tests used over 3,000 years ago by the ancient Egyptians , and the role of female urine on the plant,in determining pregnancy. Or the usage of Oil of Clove, over 4,000 years ago, for toothache.
@@robinrobyn1714The Romans used willow trees for that purpose, bud.
Count on Kevin to say "Let's get stuck in" right before talking about wounds and injuries! LOL
This guy's passion for history is brilliant, factual and entertaining, keep up the good work
Knowing ancient medical treatments can be a big help when outdoors as well. I go camping and backpacking in some remote areas. Sometimes the best way to fix a wound is the old ways, especially when you're no where near modern medicine. So glad I found this channel today, this is really interesting and it given in a clear and entertaining way!
Cheers & thanks for watching 👍🏻
Such an underrated channel, this Gentleman deserves 5m subscribers!
Wow, that's very kind of you thanks. 👍🏻
One of the first videos of yours that I watched was the one about treating Henry V's arrow wound to his head. That was fascinating in both its thoroughness and the theatricality of your presentation. When I saw this one in my feed, I instantly clicked on it. Never a dull lecture from the History Squad. Thanks again, Kevin, and have a prosperous and inquisitive New Year!
Cheers Mark, will do 👍🏻
The love and respect you have for history always brings a smile to my face. Stay awesome, Kevin.
the thorns used to clamp closed make a lot of sense, it’s too large to sew shut on its own…but if you clamp it close it’ll close tighter ensuring the muscles close together alongside the skin. the muscles are able to repair a lot better after that, otherwise it would just reopen once the limb moved it’s no different than my own arm wound, it was a flap gashed at an angle requiring tight binding of the muscle alongside stitching of the skin
So glad I just stumbled on this channel. It's so wonderful to have access to high-quality educational content like this at my fingertips
Fascinating. I was absolutely mesmerized. Again, you've left me wanting more as, this video was too short. For me, that is the sign of a good teacher --- making the students want to know more. 👍Well done, Mr. Hicks. Well done.👏
Wow, thank you!
The thorn-and-linen technique sounds like an ancestor of Montgomery Straps, which use adhesive and laces for a wound closure that can be repeatedly opened and re-packed.
Kevin, you amaze me with your knowledge and curiosity. In my 35th year of law enforcement, so I appreciate you and all you have(and continue to) accomplished. Cheers!
Thanks David 👍🏻
Absolutely loved this after spending 20 years as a scrub nurse of my 34 year nursing career, this was just fascinating!! I recognise some of those procedures which although evolved, the principle is the same. Thanks Kevin, I just love your delve into history !!
It's quite amazing how some ancient medical procedures could be so advanced for their time. Thanks for another great video!
Dear Sir, You ' re an example of nobility of mind. Thank You for making this day perfect.
Love your voice, reminds me of the good old bbc news days
I was a Hospital Corpsman with the US Navy. After getting out, I worked at various scopes of practice at hospitals, urgent cares, etc but all at a lesser level than what I was taught in the military. The amount of medical knowledge that's been around for literal centuries has astounded me, and we've lost many of these techniques as well. I've always wondered how useful or useless a medical professional would be during those ancient times. But its no surprise with how little we are paid (until you reach doctoral level) today, that we were also viewed as low status back then as well 😢
Motrin and water only goes so far bro😢
@@joser.7970 duh, that's why you change your socks too 😉
In 1980, I had surgery for bleeding ulcers. Part of the process was a visual inspection of my intestines, so yes, they were removed, checked, and returned to their rightful place. Funny that I am thinking of that now. Thank God for general anesthetic.
Iv had a few surgeries more to come, my own battle wounds so to speak. This is truly fascinating and I'm glad I live today. And wow the Egyptians stitches and medicine was awesome!
This just made my day ,I get done at work early and a video from the history squad.
Great presentation as usual, Kevin!
Kevin, although I am not from England, you are without a doubt a national treasure! I throughly enjoy hearing you impart your knowledge. Thank you!
Cool, thanks!
If I ever make it over the pond. I would love to experience a tour with you.
I actually live in Canada now, but still visit the UK when I can.@@cmpremlap
The love these physicians is more than we can imagine! Thank you for sharing the values of life were so important although it’s from ancient times. I truly thank you for sharing!✨🕊️✨
I just sat down for my lunch. This should be enjoyable to watch as I dine. As always thanks Kevin.
😂
This is a topic I randomly think about from time to time. Thank you for this awesome video!
This channel is brilliant, it's the History channel I've always wanted to see. This is history that needs to be preserved forever and should never be lost or undocumented. It's literally life saving information since 4000 BC
I have no idea how this popped up in my feed, but I loved it! This guy is great, his knowledge excellent. Quality content! 👍🏽✌🏽
Glad you enjoyed it!
top tier youtuber you spoil us with the quality of your videos
Gosh, thanks!!
My dog recently had surgery to remove a very large tumor from his chest. There wasn't enough skin to close the wound so there was a big hole where you could see muscle etc. Pretty gnarly. The vet packed the wound with honey and fresh bandages every 2 days to keep it from getting infected. He healed up quickly and is perfectly fine now. Honey is amazing!
There is also medical honey to use on humans.
This is helpful knowledge. I'm a former 68W (Combat Medic). I've always wanted to learn older forms of medicine and natural alternatives if I'm ever in a pinch. Thank you for this!
Kevin, what can I say? Another great presentation. Your the only presentation I know that backs up his historical stories with actions. The stitch up was very intriguing. Look forward to notifications to be alerted on your next show.
Thanks for another fascinating trip back in time. The development of techniques to treat wounds, and the ways they did so is very interesting. Cheers from Texas.
Glad you enjoyed it Dave!
Kevin is once again making quality content that makes me wish he had started his own channel 10 years ago. But late is better than never, thank God for you Kev ❤
How kind of you, thanks 👍🏻
One of the best channels on KZhead.
Wonderful presentation Kevin. I have had numerous surgeries and will be getting a partial prostatectomy later next month and I do so appreciate you explaining ancient techniques the way you do; keep up the good work that you do.
My pleasure, best of luck with your surgery!
This was beyond fascinating, my friend. Those folks were pretty darned clever! Your way of presenting is spot on, every time! Thank you allowing me to continue my education if the strange and unusual! ❤️🐈
Thank you kindly!
I’d honestly love to see more medieval medicine/wounds, its fascinating to see how grave wounds would be treated back then
With all we're only just rediscovering from the ancient world, the knowledge they had, there's still so much that we don't know that we don't know.
This was brilliant, a great history lesson. Thanks Kev ❤
That was brilliant! I was a combat med tech and some of this is probably in my manual when I first was trained. Especially the evacuation to different “role” medical facilities and situating positions for reasons of hygiene and tactical importance. Really enjoyed this, thank you!! ❤ I think every viewer felt your pain upon mentioning the wound suckers though!!
😜 Cheers Stuart, & thanks for watching
I made a similar presentation about medical history at university over 10 years ago. I made many references to ancient Egypt, but your knowledge of ancient India and Rome is incredible, far better than mine. Fascinating stuff!
I love history, and I love all that is medicine. Medical history is genuinely *the* coolest thing ever to me. These channels and videos are always a blessing to come across, hearing about the tools they had and how effective they were never fails to amaze me.
4,000 years ago, there were still less waiting times than the NHS has today
😂
Lol 😂 you're right though
Lmao whilst wetting me drawers from chorlting so hard.
So fascinating! Thank you! I have long been very interested in ancient medicine, as practiced by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and (especially) my beloved ancient Egyptians. Few realize their great knowledge and understanding and skills...they weren't ignorant as so many believe them to have been. One thing you said today startled me, and happily...the Egyptians' use of honey as an antibiotic on wounds, and how beautifully it worked against infection and promotes healthy granulation of tissues. I hadn't known that they used it in this way. Not long ago, I watched a veterinarian here in the USA, in Texas, take on the case of a dog with a huge, open wound...it required cleaning and debriding. The vet then decided to use a "sugar bandage" to place on the wound, to be changed each day after gently caring for the wound itself. The sugar bandages prevented infection, and brought about perfect granulation in that great wound, healing it to perfection, with only the smallest suggestion of a scar left over. I'd had no idea that sugar and/or honey was used at all in wound treatment...but this superb veterinarian uses it, and it works. Think of it, sir......it's been used for thousands of years. And it works! How wonderful, how amazing this is. Thank you so much for another superb and fascinating video. Marvelous! All the best to you, sir. You are contributing so much to my lifelong education....again, thank you!
Notice he said "Honey Butter", that is the foam on top of real honey. It is comprised of a large amount of hydrogen peroxide, which is arguably, the most potent anti biotic, fungal, viral, etc.
Honey, or sugar is hyper osmotic so it has the effect of rupturing bacterial cell membranes. The hyperosmolality of honey also draws deeper wound fluids to the surface. These fluids contain many compounds that may be beneficial that accelerate wound healing. Hydrogen peroxide is produced by some types of honey. There are antibacterial properties of honey in addition to osmolality or peroxide that appear to be dependent on the floral source of the bees. Ulmo and Manuko honey are examples. In addition there are possible antiinflammatory and/or antioxidant effects of honey in wounds that have yet to be thoroughly examined. All in all an interesting topic.
I draw the line at using the Egyptian recipe involving crocodile dung as a pessary to prevent pregnancy.
I've always loved history, so watching this is fascinating to me. Gives me lots of good ideas for medieval stories too!
IM IN CALIFORNIA UNAVAILABLE TO SLEEP AND FOUND YOUR AMAZINGLY INTERESTING CONTENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING THIS AWESOMELY INFORMATIVE HISTORICAL INFORMATION.. YOU'RE AMAZING AND BLESSING'S OF LOVE AND LIGHT BE WITH ALL
Wow, thank you Mary!
I recently discovered these wonderful videos. Thanks for the interesting information and the humor, Mr Hicks! 👍🏼
we always seem to downplay how smart our ancestors truly were
Great work as always, Kev - Cheers!
Fantastic presentation. Thank you for sharing this!
I wish I had him in my history class here in America. We all need more teachers like him.
Then your first best way to ensure good teaching is to vote Blue in November. ✌️👍
I love your channel so much! I wish I’d had a history teacher like you when I was still in school.
Thanks so much.
Awesome video Kevin, thanks for all the effort and dedication for this video.
Always makes my day when I watch something from you Kevin and Co . Wonderfully educational and interesting
Always interesting topics with Kev. I’ve just finished a book on Mesopotamia and so when I heard Sumeria I was instantly intrigued! Fun fact Mesopotamia means “between rivers” in the Ancient Greek.
Cool!
@@thehistorysquad I’m glad somebody thinks so!
Beth Nahrain is what we call it (Assyrian) - land between two rivers.
@@dolma5250 that’s awesome. Thank you! I love all the different ways ancient language’s describe these things.
Thank you Kevin for another wonderful, insightful and in-depth look into the interesting world of ancient medicine and surgery and I personally know on a daily basis about the effects of Opium or its modern day morphine deriverative as I spend my life on it for Chronic Pain problems and can appreciate their use of it for pain back then. 😊
It's a shame kratom wasn't traded on a wide spread level like opium was, but I suppose it's not quite as strong and much harder to plant your own fields since it's from a tree rather than a hardy, fast growing flower bush.
I love the enthusiasm that you have with your hands on approach with you bloody props. Amazing stuff, thank you for sharing
Fascinating subject well covered. Excellent
fortunately I have not had to use them too often, but I always include Butterfly bandaged in my first aid kits. I was also thought to place strips of adhesive tape on each side of a wound and suture that rather then the skin, it leaves a smaller scare.
Thanks for sharing this great knowledge. It really shows how people can adapt, overcome, and try to fix the problems of their current times. History is freaking awesome
Absolutely!
Simply amazing to see and hear! Thank you for uploading videos and historical information like this!
Love these videos Kevin! Thanks
Nice research Kevin! Thank you so much! 👍❤ What I find as the common denominator in all of this info on wound care is this: These ancient physicians all knew the wisdom of removing all debris from the wound including poisions and infection, cleaning it thoroughly, then closing up the wound and applying some form of medicine or poltice over it. Even God's chosen people, the Israelites were taught about personal hygiene and about contagious disease and how to deal with it, by means of the Holy Writings of Gods Word. For us today, that same wisdom can be applied as to keeping physically clean, washing hands often, keeping a contageous person separate from others and treating wounds properly. 😊
Great episode Kevin, makes me wonder how much trail by error was involved before perfecting it. Cheers
This is One of my Favorite KZhead Pages, Kevin is a History Buff and an Entertainer.
This is an amazingly well done (and oddly soothing) video. Thank you for this.
Just imagining your other half just doing the dishes, or making some bread, and there goes kevin to the old labyrinth, wearing robes and a bloody apron, carrying a basket of limbs. "Call me when you put the kettle on, yeah?"
😂 you've been to our house then lol
Great history lessons, Kevin, as allways! 😊. Maybe you dig around and find other historicals around treatment of ‘regular’ women, pregnant ones, mid-wives, pregnancies, post-partum care. Counter balance to very interesting soldiery medical care like in this episode. 🎉🎉 “Cheers and Happy Healthful New Year to You” from Canada 🇨🇦
Hi Bev, that's a fair comment, I'll be sure to give it some thought. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
Examining how women navigated the minefield of pregnancy and childbirth would be very interesting. 👍🏻
You deserve a spot on History channel.
It makes you thankful for todays medicine. For many years that was the question: how to cut into the body without pain? For most of history there was no answer to that. I have heart issues and if I lived back then I doubt I would have lived very long at all. Thank God for science in medical
"it works" that was unnerving 😂😂