Have you ever stopped to think just how far medicine has advanced today? We can cure most diseases, use science, develop a vaccine, and even prevent illnesses altogether, while just a few centuries ago, diseases such as smallpox, plague, typhus, cholera, or dengue fever sent people to an early grave.
Of course, attempts have been made at all times to prevent disease. Until the 16th century, people used folk medicine to cure diseases: various tinctures, concoctions, poultices, ointments, as well as sun and water treatments, were used. Folk healers treated illnesses with incantations, spells, or amulets. From the 16th century onwards, treatment was taken up by barbers, the surgeons of the time. They were already able to carry out some operations, such as blood-letting, treating wounds, fractures, and dislocations, as well as pulling teeth.
In the 16th century, Vilnius was already home to ‘szpitals’, the first institutions resembling hospitals that provided care and treatments for the poor.
The Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, founded in 1781, marks the historical beginning of medical sciences in Vilnius. Soon after, professors from Italy, France and Germany came to the first Faculty of Medicine in Vilnius.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Vilnius not only caught up with other European countries but even surpassed them in some innovations – the Vaccination and Maternity Institutes established in Vilnius were among the first in Europe.
Has your interest been sparked? Then, let’s go on a tour and learn about the history of Vilnius medicine from the 16th to the 20th centuries.
