Discuss the genesis of health

The preoccupation with health and disease has existed since ancient times, although,

the use of the word 'health' to describe human 'wellbeing' is relatively recent. It has

its origins in an old English word 'health', which meant a state ofbeing sound, and

was generally used to infer a soundness of the body Before Hippocrates (c 460-

377 BC) health was perceived as a divine gift. Hippocrates shifted the focus from

divine notions of health, and used observation as a basis for acquiring health

knowledge. He encouraged a focus on environmental sanitation, personal hygiene

and, in particular, balanced diets—"let food be thy medicine; and let thy medicine be

food". He theorized that 'health' might be defined as the extent of a delicate balance

of four fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and-ph legiri. 111 health, he believed,

resulted from an imbalance ofthese fluids. A divine view ofhealth persists to this era.

For example, Prophet Mohammed's view of health, sickness and death—and

followed by practicing Muslims worldwide— may be inferred from the following

verse in the Holy Koran, "The Lord of the worlds; it is He who heals me when Jam

sick, and He who would cause me to die and live again" (Koran, 26:80).

With only simple technology, our ancestors could do little to improve health.

Hunters and gatherers faced frequent food shortages, which sometimes forced

mothers to abandon their children. Those lucky enough to survive infancy were

still vulnerable to injury and illness, so half died by the age of twenty and few lived

to the age of forty (Nolan and Lenski, 1999; Scmpin, 2000).

As societies developed agriculture, food became abundant. Social inequality

also increased, the elite enjoyed better health than the peasants and slaves, who

lived in crowded, unsanitary shelters and oflen"went hungry. As cities grew in medieval

Europe, human waste and other refuse.pileclup in the streets, spreading infectious

diseases and plagues that periodically wiped out entire towns (Muniford, 1961).