ABSTRACT
In most prehistoric cultures, there was a shared basic belief that all diseases and pain are caused by external means. Man had no control on unfriendly spirits and demons. He knew of no way to ease his suffering. It was in the Neolithic era (9500-3000 BCE) that man ”rst tried to change the course of illness. Shamans, priests, and medicine men provided magical cures and herbal potions for use against supernatural illnesses. During the “Golden Age of Babylonia,” physicians placated angry gods in return for good health. Physicians at this time were religious and were closely associated with temples. Ancient Egyptian medical papyri, circa 2000 BCE, describe the use of concoctions empowered with magical spells. This was early medicine (Longrigg, 1993).
