Overview

There is no archaeological evidence that proves how prehistoric people diagnosed or treated illness, but it seems likely that these people knew next to nothing about the real nature of disease.

The Australian Aborigines of recent times diagnosed disease in a purely spiritual way, by 'seeing' the cause of an illness in a trance, or through magic rituals. Many of their cures were spiritual too, using pointing bones, beads, magic paintings, dancing and ceremonies. It therefore seems possible, although it's impossible to prove, that prehistoric shamans [Shamans: A shaman is a generic term for healers and spiritual leaders in tribal societies. ] diagnosed and treated disease in similar ways.

Despite their lack of scientific knowledge, it's possible that prehistoric people knew and used plants and various substances to cure disease. The Native Americans of the 19th century knew of more than 100 herbs and substances that had healing properties.

This, however, should not be seen as proof that primitive medicine had a 'practical', non-spiritual, side. Healers could well have used these medicinal substances as part of their spiritual practices and, if the healing proved successful, could certainly have ascribed the success to the spirits, not to the substances they had used in the cure.