As the gap widens between historical medicine and medicine as we know it, some similarities still remain. Modern medicine is not dependent on folklore and superstition; however, some instances can be found even today. Innovative medical procedures, treatments, and cures for numerous illnesses have been discovered as a result of constant advancements in technology. Although, medicine today may seem much more sophisticated than that of earlier times, many of the ancient advances in medicine paved the way for the thriving medical community present today.
In early medicine, illness and disease, especially mental illness, was associated with the devil or evil. Early civilizations didn't have any knowledge of mental illnesses. As a result, when a person started showing signs of a mental illness it was believed that he or she was possessed by the devil. To rid the body of these "evil spirits" practices of exorcism and bleeding were performed. Many people died as a result of the technique of "bleeding." In this technique, a doctor would cut into a patient and allow them to bleed. The idea behind "bleeding" was that all the evils inflicting harm upon the body would be drained out in the blood. Another example of early medical folklore is the superstition that surrounded the elderberry throughout Europe in the 1600's. It was believed that the elderberry had the power to ward off evil spirits, especially witches, and it was often incorporated in weddings and funerals to promote safety in life and death.
Compared to today, the ideas and practices of the past seem rather impractical. However, some superstitions and remedies still linger throughout modern society. For example, common knowledge claims that chicken soup is a cure for the common cold. Although further research has proven that this is not true, chicken soup does open up the nasal passages due to its high temperature.
