Fundamental of Allopathy

Allopathy is a way of treating illnesses with remedies that have effects different from the disease itself.

The term allopathy is often used to describe conventional medicine. It involves using non-homeopathic treatments for various diseases.

The concept of allopathy was created by German doctor Samuel Hahnnemann. He combined the Greek words allos, meaning 'opposite', and pathos, meaning 'suffering', to refer to the harsh medical practices of his time, which included bleeding, purging, vomiting, and using very toxic drugs. Therefore, allopathy is clearly defined as treating a disease with something that is opposite to it.

However, regular doctors did not want to use the term and called allopath a false nickname. Even though many modern treatments can be aligned with an allopathic standard, medicine has never fully adhered to allopathic principles. The term 'allopath' was seen as highly desirable by conventional medicine, but it is not more offensive than the term quack, which was used in 1978 to label a competitor.

In this context, allopathy is sometimes referred to as the western approach and is known in the west as conventional medicine. Allopathy mainly focuses on treating the symptoms of diseases, primarily through prescription medications. Allopathy, or the modern system of medicine, is practiced by doctors who have graduated from medical school and have 'M.D.' after their names.

ALLOPATHIC VIEW OF DISEASE:

From a perspective in the 20th century, early American medicine was far from scientific. Observations of diseases and their treatment results were generalized in a way that now seems quite odd, leading to universal theories about disease.

FOUR HUMORS THEORY:

The ancient theory of humors linked disease to an imbalance of four humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) and four bodily states (hot, cold, wet, and dry), which corresponded to four elements (earth, fire, air, and water). Physicians who followed the Hippocratic tradition tried to restore balance by treating symptoms with their opposites. For example, fever (considered hot) was thought to be caused by too much blood since patients appeared flushed. Thus, they sought balance through bloodletting to cool the patient.

TREATMENT:

The treatment methods used in allopathy include:

1. Bleeding

2. Leeching

3. Cupping

4. Blistering

5. Purging

6. Puking

7. Poulticing

8. Rubbing with ointment

All these allopathic treatment methods were believed to be cleansing, purifying, and balancing techniques aimed at restoring the humoral balance of the four humors.

BLEEDING:

Bleeding was typically the first treatment used. There were several different ways to bleed a person.

It was thought that bleeding helped to remove bad blood that carried disease from the body.

Doctors would perform bleeding for issues like brain congestion, sore eyes, spinal problems, sore throats or swollen tonsils, asthma, lung inflammation, tuberculosis, heart disease, hemorrhoids, and spleen inflammation.

Bloodletting involved directly cutting a patient's vein with a lancet (known as venous section).

LEECHING:

Leeching is a bleeding method that uses leeches. A leech was placed in a thin tube while the patient's skin was cleaned and shaved. To make the leech bite, a drop of blood or milk was put on the vein area. Then, the tube with the leech was turned upside down over the spot, and the leech would suck blood from the vein. Once the leech had taken enough blood, salt was sprinkled on it to make it stop sucking and release from the skin.

CUPPING:

This treatment involved using evacuated glass cups on cut skin to draw blood. Cupping was often combined with bloodletting. After one or two intense bleedings, a patient's blood pressure would drop to the point where blood would no longer flow out. Therefore, heated cups were placed over the cuts to help draw out more blood. Special cups were heated and applied over the cuts, creating a vacuum that allowed blood to flow freely from the vein.

BLISTERING:

It was believed that the pain from blistering distracted the patient from their more serious pain. The blistering practice involved intentionally giving the patient a second-degree burn and then draining the resulting blister.

The following diseases were treated as if they were caused by congestion in the brain, inflammation of the brain, sore eyes, sore throat, inflammation of the stomach and lungs, liver and spleen issues, and typhoid fevers.

PLASTERING:

Plasters were thick mixtures made from various ingredients, including things like cow manure. They were put on the chest or back of someone who had a chest cold or internal pain, even pneumonia.

POULTERING:

Poultices were created using bread and milk, and sometimes other ingredients like potatoes, onions, and linseed oil were added. These poultices were used on cuts, wounds, bites, and boils.

PUKING:

Puking involved giving a patient emetic to make them vomit. This method was thought to relieve pressure on the arteries and help get rid of poisons in the body.

PURGING:

This treatment aimed to clear the bowels and intestines using strong laxatives. Purging was done to detoxify the body from harmful substances. The most common purgative used was a form of mercury chloride called calomel.

OINTMENT:

Ointments that contained mercury were applied to the skin for various diseases. Sulfur was also frequently used to relieve itching.