Ancient Practices
If ancient writings could be considered textbooks, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine would most likely be the first on medicine. Originally, scholars thought the book was written around 2600 BCE by the legendary Chinese emperor Huangdi. Newer evidence suggests it may be from around 300 BCE and compiled by a number of different authors. No matter what its origin date, it is the earliest literary record of the health benefits of massage and acupuncture. And it is still used today as a reference for traditional Chinese medicine.
In 1897, archaeologists who opened the tomb of Egyptian noble Ankhmahor discovered documentation of hands-on medical treatments. A wall mural dating from 2500 to 2330 BCE depicts hand and foot massage. Additional scenes of medical practices are inscribed on the walls of the tomb. Scholars say that this illustration and its accompanying hieroglyphics are the first known documentation of reflexology.
The Father of Modern Reflexology
By the late 1500s CE, the practice of massaging specific points of the feet for healing was all the rage in Europe. Called “zone therapy,” it involved mentally dividing the feet into five vertical and four horizontal sections that corresponded to the rest of the body. In America, Indigenous people also practiced forms of foot massage and touch therapy. The Cherokee, for example, identified meridians throughout the body and massaged specific points for healing.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2020 de Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2020 de Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.