In ancient times, humans' living habits of eating raw meat and drinking raw water made them particularly susceptible to epidemics. People who were helpless could only ask the gods for help. Due to the limitations of scientific level and backward feudal ideas, epidemics were mistakenly believed to be related to ghosts and gods.
Plague is a general term for a class of diseases that are highly transmissible and pathogenic. In ancient my country, medical treatment was relatively backward, and plague was a catastrophe. The ancients believed that plagues were spread by plague gods, and the method of treatment was to ask gods for divination, so witchcraft was prevalent.
A shaman is treating a patient
The ancients concluded that there are three major factors in plague: the evil of the epidemic, the transmission route, and the body's own resistance.
How did the Chinese prevent plague in ancient times when there was no vaccine?
. Famous doctors have emerged from generation to generation to fight against the epidemic, and they are the first to bear the brunt. In the long history of my country's anti-epidemic struggle, many famous doctors have appeared, such as Zhang Zhongjing during the Eastern Han period. Zhang Zhongjing was famous for treating typhoid fever and wrote "Treatise on Typhoid fever". "" is a timeless classic. The book discusses the treatment methods of various infectious diseases at different periods. Zhang Zhongjing has also continued to try acupuncture, medication, bathing and other treatment methods, and many of the prescriptions are still in use. Since then, China has never had a plague with more than 10 million deaths. Zhang Zhongjing is well-deserved to be called the "Medical Sage" by future generations.
. Isolate yourself and stay at home:
Ancient Chinese doctors have long recognized that some plague diseases are contagious, so they found that timely isolation of infectious patients is a very effective preventive measure. In the Qin Dynasty of our country, leprosy relocation centers were established to accommodate leprosy patients. This is also the earliest leprosy isolation hospital in the world, and it allows men and women to live separately and provide certain support and care.
Another option is self-isolation. In and the Jin Dynasty, there were regulations: if more than three people in the family of a courtier were infected with the plague, even if they themselves were not infected, they had to be quarantined at home for 100 days. It can be seen that ancient my country’s understanding of infectious diseases was quite advanced.
. Pay attention to diet and keep personal cleanliness
The ancients have gained experience from the plague: paying attention to dietary hygiene and personal cleanliness are important ways to prevent and control epidemics. Therefore, ancient books record that the ancients used Perrin and other herbs to bathe, which can prevent and treat diseases. Li Shizhen 's "Compendium of Materia Medica" also records how to judge and grade the quality of well water, and it must be boiled before drinking.
Moreover, the ancients said that "wearing a vanilla bag will protect you from five pests." The ancient policemen wore sachets to prevent epidemic diseases.
. Putting medicine in the well and fumigation method
There are folk conclusions in " Huainanzi ". For example, sick dogs cannot be thrown into the well after death, as it will pollute water sources; and " Lunheng" also warns people not to eat things that have been trampled by rats, otherwise they will transmit diseases; Sun Simiao also advocates the use of fumigation method and putting medicine into the well for disinfection.
. The government and the people cooperate and report in a timely manner
Once an epidemic occurs, it must be reported to the court in a timely manner. The court will immediately send medical officers to support, use national treasury resources to collect medicinal materials from various places and send them to the epidemic areas, set up medical clinics in temples, and at the same time, the government will fund the burial of the deceased. This allows the bodies to be properly disposed of under official supervision, prevents the spread of the disease, and stabilizes people's hearts.
. Take preventive measures before they occur and pay attention to the hygienic environment
Our country has always had the traditional habit of " sweeping the new year ", northern is called "House sweeping", also known as "dust dusting" in the south, is to clean your home from the inside out to avoid the spread of diseases caused by a dirty environment. During the Dragon Boat Festival, every household smokes moxa, soaks moxa, and drinks moxa to avoid the smell of plague. This is also a means of sterilization and prevention of diseases.
. Sterilization and disinfection
Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty had long proposed the method of steam sterilization.In the ancient times of the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, people attached great importance to epidemic prevention. People in the Song Dynasty had realized that "decocting water" could eliminate the source of disease infection, and they found that feces could also spread diseases, so there were also special feces collectors at that time. In the prisons of the Song Dynasty, special attention was paid to environmental sanitation. They were cleaned once a week, and prisoners' shackles were also cleaned.
. Immunization method , which enables the human body to acquire resistance
In the Northern Song Dynasty , the immunization method of smallpox vaccine appeared for the first time, and it also The scabs or thick sap on children with smallpox are used as vaccinia, and are blown into the nostrils of the vaccinators to infect them with the smallpox virus. After a mild case of smallpox, immunity to smallpox is acquired. This immunity method is also called the "variolation method."
Several major epidemics experienced by our country in ancient times
. Typhoid fever in the Eastern Han Dynasty:
During the Three Kingdoms period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, large-scale plagues broke out frequently, and China htm The death toll in the area north of the Yangtze River was as high as 20 million. Zhang Zhongjing witnessed the misfortunes suffered by his relatives one after another, and devoted himself to studying the diagnosis and treatment of typhoid fever. He determined to challenge typhoid fever and become a doctor who could save the people. After continuous clinical exploration, he wrote the book "Treatise on Febrile Diseases", which saved countless people from suffering from disaster.
. Plague in the late Ming Dynasty:
"History of the Ming Dynasty" records that after the plague, ten houses were empty, and even worse, there was not a single person in the city. Later, a Fujian man discovered a way to treat the plague, which was to treat patients with blood pricking. In addition, almost all rats died in winter, and the population density also dropped significantly due to the plague. In summary, the plague was gradually controlled.
. Modern plague:
The plague in 1910 was introduced to Harbin from the Middle East Railway and spread rapidly throughout the Northeast. In just six months, more than 60,000 people died. Fortunately, Mr. Wu Liande proposed to completely isolate the place where the plague occurred, distribute masks door to door, train 600 police officers to assist medical staff in plague prevention and control, and send infected persons to epidemic prevention hospitals immediately. In the end, the epidemic was successfully defeated. This was also the first successful battle to defeat the epidemic through scientific means in human history.
Although the three large-scale plagues in our country's history caused heavy losses to our country's economy, in each case, with the joint efforts of the people across the country, correct response methods were adopted. In the end, our people overcame numerous obstacles and defeated the epidemic.
Summary
To sum up, ancient my country has used a variety of methods to prevent and control plagues. With the advancement of the times, medicine has become more developed. People have more advanced methods and more diverse methods to prevent and control epidemics. The incidence and mortality of infectious diseases have been greatly reduced. When people face epidemics, they are no longer as panicked as before, and regard them as punishments from ghosts and gods.
However, the plague will always coexist with mankind. Its attacks on people have never stopped. The road to national protest has a long way to go. I also believe that mankind will eventually defeat the plague.
