Ancient Painkillers

[jasonxx]

Just Recently I had a meeting with Pain. I crashed my Motorkike and Broke my Shoulder.At the time of Injusry shock etc I didnt realise the pain so much. I was more concerned about my bike which is no more.

The Day after and the pain started having a go. I declined painkillers as I get hooked. I recall the days thinking I was tough and it wouldnt bother me yet it bloody did and still does. Then to pass time I read Hammond and thought about Alexanders injuries and soldiers in general. How did those Ancients cope with real wounds and injury.

Particullay the Arrow through the Rib Cage and into the lung. I would assume alcohol or something had to be used to ease the pain. Digging out the arrow. Did they cortorize the bleeding and if so it must have been pure agony. Why no shock.

We know that opium and those drugs come from those areas. I wonder if the Ancients were aware of Opiates and Morphine as they are the same thing. Which as I found out why I became addicted to Codiene they are all Opiate based pain Killers

Now this accident has given me a mortality check The bIke is mangled and the Pain taught me a lesson. Now alexander must have felt the pain in Multiples any other or most guys would say thats enough of that Back to Babylon Feet up and Ill cough up the money for some representitive to conquer for me


It reiterates his bloody guts will power and toughness. I cant recall many other of the Great Commanders been critically wounded Khan. Caesar. Hannibal. Napoleon. Attila none of these boys felt the pain like that. Unless I recall in a mini Movie about Hannibal I think I saw him lose an eye.

Kenny

[marcus]

Particullay the Arrow through the Rib Cage and into the lung. I would assume alcohol or something had to be used to ease the pain. Digging out the arrow. Did they cortorize the bleeding and if so it must have been pure agony. Why no shock.

We know that opium and those drugs come from those areas. I wonder if the Ancients were aware of Opiates and Morphine as they are the same thing. Which as I found out why I became addicted to Codiene they are all Opiate based pain Killers

Hi Kenny,

Sorry to hear about the accident. It must have been horrible.

I don't really know anything about ancient medicine and surgery. They certainly would have cauterised wounds, though. And I know that they used opiates of some description - whether anything akin to modern morphine, I don't know.

Fortunately, there's always someone on Pothos who knows a subject in at least some detail ... I'm sure you'll get a fuller answer!

ATB

[Efstathios]

Ancient Greeks were aware of opium and may have used it in some situations.The word opium is a latinized word from the greek "opion" as they named it.Also they used willow bark, which is an ingredient of todays aspirin.And other things.Hippocrates used willow to ease the pain.Surely there were various painkillers used.

[val]

Hi everyone¡

Kenny, I am really sorry for what happened to you, that kind of situations are always awful, and I hope you are recovered by now. It’s a shame that your bike could not get fixed but, thankfully, you could manage to get better, which it’s the important thing.

About medicines used in ancient times I found this reference:

¨The medicines, phármakon, stated in the Hippocratic writings are more than 300, mostly of vegetal origin and with purgative, emetic, diuretic and diaphoretic properties as well as emollient, narcotics and of other kind. (…) Black Hellebore was the universal purgative while white hellebore was the common vomitive, but among the purgatives included: castor-oil plant´ s seeds and the colocynth, and among the vomitive tapsia (couldn’t find proper translations) and hyssop; squill, celery and asparagus were diuretic; narcotics were mandrake, henbane and opium (…)
For the exterior of wounds it was recommended the use of wine and vinegar, but was contrary the use of oil and several mineral substances (…).¨

Guerra, Francisco, Historia de la Medicina,(History of Medicine) Madrid, Ediciones Norma, S.A. 1982.

On the same book, however I found a reference that caught my attention, it said:
(The dogmatic school) had its center in the Asclepieion of Kos and Hippocrates children figure in it; Thessalo from Kos doctor of Archelaus King of Macedon, Draco, whose son Hippocrates IV saved the life of Roxana, Alexander’s´ wife, Critodemo, who extracted an arrow from the conqueror in one of his campaigns(…).

Well, the part that caught my attention was that this Hippocrates saved Roxana’s life; When was that? I don’t know if it is a mistake from the book; for what I have seen so far it is a very historically correct book but, of course, its main purpose is the history of medicine and some things are added just as anecdotes.

All the best, Valeria

[azara]

Hi, Val! I'm quoting from Andrew Chugg's " Alexander 's lovers", pag. 169-170:

...The Suda has the following entry: DRAKON, grandson of Hippokrates the famous doctor; son of Thessalos; father of Hippokrates, who again had a son Drakon, the latter being the doctor who healed Roxane while she was living with Alexander.
One possible context for Roxane's sickness would be her pregnancy in India, since complications in giving birth were a very common cause of illness...

The death of a child by Alexander and Roxane in India is mentioned in the so-called Metz epitome.

To Kennyx all my wishes for a quick recovery! Azara

[amyntoros]

Hi Kenny,

I’m so sorry about your accident and hope that you will be pain-free and feeling better soon. And I’m sorry about your bike as well. My father road a motor-bike (a Norton) at your age and I know how attached a man can get to his bike.

As for ancient painkillers; I found out something about opiates a while ago. I have a post half written somewhere, but, as usual, I can’t seem to find it so I’ll start from scratch.

The United Nations has a website Chronology of Opium through History that claims Alexander introduced opium to India (and Persia!) in 330 BC. I did some follow-up and located the page from which I believe this information was drawn. It is a 1967 Bulletin on Narcotics which has quite a comprehensive and interesting detailing of the ancient knowledge of opium, with sources. Apparently, opiates were known in Macedonia at the time of Alexander so it is presumed that the doctors with Alexander’s army brought them on the campaign. Now, I’m sure that if the poppy was indigenous to India then the natives would have already known its medical properties. However, I suppose it is possible that the plant was unknown in the region and that any doctor who settled in one of Alexander's cities may have planted poppy seeds and watched them flourish and spread to the surrounding regions. The writer of the bulletin, Dr. P.G. Kritikos of the University of Athens says this:

The poppy was known in Macedonia before the time of Alexander the Great (fourth century B.C.) and thus Bergmarck's assertion that the method of extracting the juice was learned by the Greeks from Indian sources is incorrect. On the contrary, we maintain that Alexander the Great took with him to India the drugs which he used for the needs of his army. This is recorded by the chroniclers of the time. It could be that knowledge pertaining to opium was carried to India by Alexander - not the converse. But there is no proof that opium was used in India during this period, and perhaps a special study should be made on the earliest origins of the cultivation of the poppy in India.

As Dr. Kritikos’ article is almost 40 years old, I wonder if such a study has been made since then. Whether it has or not, the United Nations has seemingly turned his theory into fact, claiming once again that Alexander introduced opium to the region – Afghanistan this time - on this page.

Controversial, isn’t it? But interesting, nevertheless … And Kritikos' article does imply that Alexander and his men had access to painkillers.

Best regards,

[jasonxx]

Amyntros Hi

Your article and theories about Opiates and the likes in Alexanders time could contaradict Alexanders so Called Alcoholis As a former alcoholic and one who understands a little about substance adictions. I was once addicted to a pain killer called Dihodrocodiene without even knowing. i studies and realised that indeed all these painkillers are opiate based . Heroine.

as a alcoholoic and as a rule Alcoholics do have adictive natures and excesive behaviours. I know without a question af a doubt if I started taking any of these Druds Cannabis Coke etc I wouldnt get off them. and i wouldnt at all function. is why i dont believe Alexander an Alcoholic. if he was and opiates were readily available. im pretty sure he would have been out of his head most of the time. If He was forever Boozed up or on Opiates Im sure he wouldnt have been as focused on his world conquest

For me Alexander was a social Drinker and maybe got pissed now and again. I dont think he got the shakes or was looking around for a drink as soon as he got out of bed. Or Drinking a bottle of wine before Breakfast.

Thats an Alcoholic. Alcoholics need booze to feel normal and have confidence.

Kenny

[amyntoros]

Hi Kenny,

I agree with you that it's highly unlikely that Alexander was ever given opiates. Pain - and the ability to endure pain - was a major part of a soldier's life, and I doubt that Alexander would ever have admitted to being unable to cope with it as that could have been interpreted as a sign of weakness. That doesn't mean, however, that opiates weren't available to the doctors, although I can't say that they were for certain because my own knowledge is limited to the article I posted. I suppose opiates might have been used in the case of amputations, etc., although, again, I can't be sure.

Best regards,

[jasonxx]

Amyntos hi

I see your points and gusto bravado with A guy Like Alexander enduring a certain amount of pain Endurance etc to show example. But to realistic I would assume theres only a certain amount of pain anyone could endure. I guess theres pain and agong. I felt pain with a break. But the case with Alexander and the Arrow I cant imagine the scale with it in there and the Removal.

I would wager some kind of heavy mind bending formula to numb ar to take your mind away. Even if it was masses of booze. With the Scientists etc around at that time inparticular the Chemical experts. I mean the Ancients knew plenty of poisons.

For anyone to have an arrow go through to your lung we must say Alexander was a robot or the toughest mother F*****r out there.

And what is even more amaizing I dont know how long it was after. We know he dragged himself out of bed and even onto a Horse to prove to his soldiers he was still alive.


I would say those Greeks Macedonians had Morphine in there bag of tricks.

Kenny

[Efstathios]

Ancient Greeks also had methods for sedation for a surgery.Furthermore i dont think that the opium that they used was in such form that could cause an addiction.Or maybe they had already found out that this could cause an addiction, so they used proper dosage.Generally i dont think there were addicted persons in ancient times, from things like that.And maybe they used other painkillers instead, exactly because they knew that opium was addictive.

The ancients had far more advanced medicine than we know.Aculls have been found in the Greek territory, but in other places too, that had a hole that was caused by a surgery.And the person survived the surgery and lived on.So they did succesfull surgeries even on the head.

I agree about Alexander.Surely he was not an alcoholic, but a casual drinker.