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medieval medicine and modern medicine historians
medieval medicine and modern medicine historians
ancient medicine pioneers
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Medical technology has changed drastically throughout the years, with the first records of people healing one another dating back to ancient Egypt and Babylonia, though other civilizations scattered around the world, such as China or India discovered similar uses of medical knowledge around the same time. Scientists and doctors learned the art of observing and recording symptoms, and comparing them with others, resulting in an increase of understanding of disease and illness. Medical practices have evolved from the crude use of stone tools to cut small holes into skulls to relieve pressure on one’s brain, to complex robotic pieces that perform such a task with limited to no physical human contact. Many of the newest breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment have come to be within the last ten years, and continue to constantly change.
The first recorded uses of medicine date back to the times of ancient Egypt, a time where the line between the real and the supernatural were blurred- a papyrus was found containing spells believed to heal and diagnose people, followed by a section on the uses of certain herbs to heal one’s malady, containing descriptions of the signs of the illness. Illness, however, remained mysterious until the Enlightenment around the 16th and 17th centuries, when Robert Hooke’s invention of the microscope allowed the unseen to finally be revealed, marking the beginning of an age of revolutionary science and medicine. Charles Darwin came along in the 1800s, changing the world with his observations and theories of natural science, including the way people thought of the human body. Gregor Mendel came up with ideas that would become the foundations of modern genetics. Louis Pasteur and Robert Kuch recorded informat...
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"Radiation Therapy for Cancer." National Cancer Institute. National Cancer Institute, 30 June 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2014. .
Colen, B.D.. "Potential Diabetes Breakthrough." Harvard Gazette. Harvard Gazette, 25 Apr 2013. Web. 16 Apr 2014. .
Benz, Edward J.. "Genomics and the Future of Cancer Treatment." Stand up to Cancer. Stand up to Cancer. Web. 16 Apr 2014. .
Katz, Ingrid. "Breakthrough in AIDS Prevention and Treatment ." Here and Now. WBUR- Boston's NPR Station, 07 Mar 2014. Web. 16 Apr 2014. .
During the year 1889, two researchers, Joseph Von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, had discovered the disease that is known today as diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the insulin levels (a hormone produced in unique cells called the islets of Langerhans found in the pancreas) in the bloodstream are irregular and therefore affect the way the body uses sugars, as well as other nutrients. Up until the 1920’s, it was known that being diagnosed with diabetes was a death sentence which usually affected “children and adults under 30.” Those who were diagnosed were usually very hungry and thirsty, which are two of the symptoms associated with diabetes. However, no matter how much they ate, their bodies wouldn’t be able to use the nutrients due to the lack of insulin. This would lead to a very slow and painful death. In 1922, four Canadian researchers by the names of Frederick G. Banting, Charles H. Best, John J.R. MacLeod, and James B. Collip had discovered a way to separate insulin in the pancreas of dogs and prepare it in such a way so that it can be used to treat diabetic patients. In the year 2008, there were 1,656,470 people who suffered from diabetes in Canada, and by 2010, it is predicted that this disease will take over the lives of 285 million people . Although there is no cure for diabetes, the treatment of prepared insulin is prolonging the lives of diabetics and allowing them to live freely. The discovery of insulin was important and significant in Canada’s history because Banting was a Canadian medical scientist who had a purpose in finding a treatment for diabetes, its discovery has saved lives and improved the quality of life of those suffering from this disease, and it showed the world Canada’s medical technology was ...
Insulin is by far the most influential discovery in Canadian and world history. In Canada in 2008/2009 there were 2.4 million people living with diabetes and there are many more today. With out the discovery of insulin many people would not be able to live full lives. However, the discovery of insulin was not just an accomplishment Fredrick Banting and his colleagues had developed in the 1920s, it was a product of timing and luck on Banting’s part and the idea that he took from others was the product that changed the century.
Most of these medical advances were a result and were an influence of World War I. Probably one of the most important medical advances was the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by a Scottish, microbiologist named Alexander Fleming, he had actually accidently discovered it, when he noticed that a bacteria culture he had been growing, had stopped, he realized that it had been contaminated by a rare form of mold called Penicillin and that it had killed the bacteria.
Caster-Perry, Sarah. "This Week in Science History-Available Insulin." The Naked Scientists. The Naked Scientists, Apr 2009. Web. 16 Sep 2010.
Although medicine has come along way especially in recent years, there were medicine men and wom...
Jost, Kenneth. “Diabetes Epidemic: why is this serious disease on the increase?” The CQ Researcher (March 9, 2001): 185-200
Radiation therapy is a complex treatment plan to treat cancer in patients. Its treatment can be used alone or in conjunction with surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is delivered by a team of individuals who specialize in the treatment of cancer. There are several ways in which the radiation can be delivered to the patient with specialized equipment. Radiation therapy is an exciting field of study that can be beneficial to patients who are affected by cancer.
Spink, Gemma. "AIDS." AVERTing HIV and AIDS. 23 Dec 2009. Web. 11 Jan 2010. .
Early Greek medicine was more of a divine matter. It was believed that the God Asclepius was the god of medicine. Priests would live at his temples and claimed they knew the ways of healing people. It was not until around 500 B.C., a Greek physician named Alcmaeon began to dissect animals to observe their skeleton, muscles, and brain. This was most probably the first ever to describe a phenomenon through objective observations. Through his observations, he believed that illness was due to an imbalance in the body. This idea prevailed for many centuries in the history of medicine.
Another treatment that is used to help a cancer patients overcome the disease is radiation therapy. Although very affective and used commonly, thi...
In modern medicine when an ailment arises it can be quickly diagnosed, attributed to a precise bacteria, virus, or body system, and treated with medication, surgery or therapy. During the time before rational medical thought, this streamlined system of treatment was unheard of, and all complaints were attributed to the will of the multitude of commonly worshiped Greek gods (Greek Medicine 1). It was during the period of Greek rationalism that a perceptible change in thought was manifested in the attitudes towards treating disease. Ancient Greece is often associated with its many brilliant philosophers, and these great thinkers were some of the first innovators to make major developments in astrology, physics, math and even medicine. Among these academics was Hippocrates, one of the first e...
The contributions of several doctors, researchers, and scientists helped improve the health of the growing population. In 1850 the average life expectancy was 42 years. By 1910 the average life expectancy had risen to nearly 55 years. Between 1850 and 1910 there were several advances in the medical field. The introduction of genes, white blood cells, blood groups, insulin, rubber gloves, aspirin, and vitamins and the discoveries of Pasteur, Charcot, Halsted, Zirm, Lister, and Koch were the starting point of an international fight against disease.
Besides the computer revolution, medical advances have caused tension between faith and reason. The medical advances of the Twentieth Century have many beneficial effects for humanity. Diseases that used to be dangerous or life threatening, like mumps, measles, and whooping cough, are no longer worries in todays medical world. Tetanus, typhoid, and the bubonic plaque can now be treated with antibiotics or other medicines. Vaccines, especially the polio vaccine, freed many people from the effects of a disease. Advances in heart surgery and organ transplants have saved many lives. Anesthetics and painkillers have been made to reduce or eliminate pain during surgery or a painful disease. Advances in cancer and AIDS have also been made, although many of the details of these diseases are yet to be learned.
After the industrial revolution in the 18th century in Europe and America, there was the rapid industrial and economic growth in the 19th century, which in turn caused various scientific discoveries and various invention therefore making more progress in identifying illnesses and developing modes of treatment and cure, this was where modern medicine started. After the industrial revolution there were more industries, which in turn created a lot of work-related diseases and poor hygiene, also as the cities began to grow larger, more communicable diseases began to increase, cases like typhoid and cholera became epidemics. As well, due to the changes occurring, more and more people became more aware and since there was democracy there became an increase in demand for health care. There were also the wars that occurred, causing injuries which needed to be treated. Modern medicine evolves to solve the problems of the society at a given time and various advances in this mode of health care has occurred over the years. It has been seen that modern medicine is a positive influence in the society today for various reasons, the goal of the modern medicine is to achieve good health of the citizens, and modern medicine is experimental which is capable of advanced diagnosis. Likewise, modern medicine has an effect on the social and economic state of the modern society. Modern medicine is understood as the science of treating, diagnosing or even preventing illnesses using improved sophisticated technology. This mode of treatment involves a variety of methods, using diet, exercise, treatment by drugs or even surgery.
Hippocrates, often called the “father of medicine” was one of the earliest contributors to modern science. He was called the father of medicine because through his medical school, he separated medical knowledge and practice from myth and superstition basing them instead of fact, observation, and clinical ...