World’s Greatest Mysteries – Season 2 – Episode 9: Medical Mysteries: Ancient Healers Or Modern Technology?

Healers from a variety of ancient civilizations were able to diagnose and treat the human body with amazing effectiveness. In fact, the first generally accepted use of plants for medical purposes was depicted in cave paintings discovered in the Lascaux caves in France, which have been radiocarbon dated to between 13,000 and 25,000 BC. According to archaeologists, the earliest known surgery in Egypt was performed around 2750 BC. An Egyptian papyrus dated by researchers at 1600 BC is actually a relatively sophisticated medical textbook describing in detail the examination, diagnosis, treatment techniques and procedures for a number of cross-bladed scissors, surgical needles, sounds, and specula. The Romans were also pioneers in cauterization, as well as cataract surgery. This extensively researched and thoroughly intriguing television program examines what ancient medical practitioners might have known that we don't. It asks whether there are methods and medicines used thousands of years ago that could eliminate some of our most life-threatening illnesses of today. Finally, it looks at the concept that the ancients knew about a life force so powerful that it could actually teach the body to heal.