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Medicine has become an imprescriptible part of our lives. When we are sick we hastily call our family doctor, go to the drugstore to purchase the meds we need and if something is radically wrong with us get a sick leave to be able to stay at home and get well. Have you ever imagined that things were not always like that? Here are some stunning facts about the development and main sorts of modern medicine.

The word medicine is derived from the Latin “ars medicina”, meaning “the art of healing”. Medicine now is a completely scienctific activity, but you should also know that it is a kind of art - the art of curing humans. The major functions of contemporary medicine is supporting and restoring health by means of prevention and treatment of various illnesses. Traditional medicine started as numerous healing arts and techniques based on traditional story-told non-scientific practices.

By the way, complementary medicine today has a certain power, too. Why, you might ask? You see, sometimes official medicine is unable to cure a long list of wicked health disorders and injuries such as cancers, diabetes, AIDS, autoimmune diseases, spinal injuries etc. The point is usual medicine is really good at finding out symptoms typical for certain health disorders and injuries and at prescribing medicines and medical procedures able to lessen the patient’s pain and suffering. But often it is unable of finding the reason why the health issue breaks out. On the contrary, complementary medicine still remembers that we possess intellect, body and soul. Anger and hate that you keep inside you as well as negative emotions you face day by day damage your soul, stuff up your head and ruin your body.

Unlike unsystematic approaches of healers, contemporary medicine is empoweredl with health science, biomedical research and medical technology - it can diagnose and handle injuries and diseases of all kinds. traditionally it applies medication, surgery and some other forms of therapy. The main part of docs try to remember how important it is for the ill individual to feel care and compassion, to have a face-to-face contact with the MD, that is why they follow the strict set of rules known as bedside manner.

Many millennia ago our ancestores noticed that certain plants, animal parts and minerals help curing injuries and wounds and overcome different diseases. It was not the knowledge for everyone - priests, shamans, healers and medicine men treated them as purely magical substances.
From ancient records we find out that medicine is a very old activity. Texts about ancient Egyptian medicine, Babylonian medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, classical Chinese madicine, ancient Greek and Roman medicine demonstrate that even millennia ago some people tried to help others in getting well! Imhotep is the first name of the medical man preserved in the history of medicine. He was an Egyptian and lived about 3rd millennium BC! The fascinating fact is that ancient texts and encryptions tell us that many centuries ago there were dedicated medicinal treatment facilities for patients (like hospitals today) and numerous surgical operations including aesthetic surgery!

You surely know that ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates is said to be “the father of medicine” for building rational approach to medicine. Hippocrates created the famous Hippocratic Oath for medical people. Believe it or not, it is still in use today, as relevant and wise as ever before! What is more, Hippocrates managed to perceive health problems as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic. In addition to it, modern doctors use numerous special words invented by Hippocrates - relapse, resolution, paroxysm, peak, exacerbation, crisis, convalescence are only a few of them!

Surprisingly, the Western world did not support bright ideas of ancient doctors after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Dark Ages. Eastern world, on the contrary, kept and supported the Greek and Roman tradition in medicine. A notable Islamic medical man who made a great contribution to medicine, was Avicenna. He invented the famous Cannon of Medicine.

Medical science interested Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries when deadly Black Death ravaged Europe killing up to 30-60% of its population. This incredibly dangerous pandemic made physicians reject the ‘traditional authority’ approach to science and medicine and seek new decisions. Doctors like Ibn al-Nafis and Vesalius did a great job supporting or criticizing a number of approaches from the past.

But the new era of medicine launched in the 18th century when Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine. Since then biomedical research has become one of the main proofs in medicine, while ancient traditions started fading. Around 1880 Robert Koch deciphered the transmission of illnesses by bacteria and soon in 1908 Paul Ehrlich discovered the first antibiotics.

The 20th century was a real whirl of medical events and research. It is impossible to enumerate all the talented doctors whose innovations and experiments led to new treatments and the use of revolutionary medicines!

Modern pharmacology inherited the old knowledge of herbalism and incorporated numerous ideas of the chemistry, but all the same, a long list of pills are still derived from plants. For instance atropine used in ophthalmology and gastroenterology, ephedrine effective for patients with asthma, warfarin used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots, aspirin we take for a number of reasons, digoxin irreplaceable in cardiology and a number of other essential people are received from plants. But the technology applied today is brand new! A number of pills reduced their side-effects due to innovative ways of production and what is more, new medications are designed for complete compatibility with a human body!

Today you don’t even have to queue up in the waiting room to get your prescription. You can easily find a good online pharmacy without a rx and enjoy immaculate support team and swift service! All you have to do is to orders high-quality cheap meds available. You can chose to buy brand medications or generic medicines. They share the same formula and are equally effective, but the price of any generic medication is much more lower.

Up-to-date medicine can be regarded as to an evidence-based science, and unlike it was in ancient healing systems its major purpose is sharing information and clinical experience. The point is that the ‘best practice’ approaches tend to stifle new ideas of treatment, that is why there many systematic medical reviews available.

Present-day medicine is first of all the activity where doctors personally assess patients to examine, diagnose and treat them. So, as you see the famous TV diagnostic genius Gregory House is not a typical practitioner at all! When you visit a MD the standard procedure is like that:
- it begins with studying the patient’s medical history; then follows a detailed medical interview and a careful physical examination. If necessary the examination is followed by medical tests - blood test, urine test, smear, biopsy etc. Please, remember, it is very essential for the doctor to know every truthful detail and symptom - otherwise right diagnosing is impossible! Stop being shy or squeamish when you visit your doctor - tell him or her everything that you find strange and suspicious - that might be helpful. The medical appointment is wrote down in the special medical record and your personal medical history, which is a legal document.

The process of medical handling depends on the case. You stay at home if the problem is simple and take the drugs prescribed by your medical man. Serious cases may take weeks and several specialists to manage and the patient is likely to be hospitalized.

Medicine these days is a part of health care system of each powerful country. It is essential to ensure that every personality has access to medical care irrespective of the personality’s ability to pay for the service. That is why it is so vital to support state-owned and charitable hospitals and clinics.

The medical personnel consist not only of physicians. Well-trained nurses, paramedics and emergency medical technicians help their men and women go the whole way through his or her case and get well as soon as possible. We cannot live without the service of radiographers, dietitians, surgeons, dentists, anaesthetists etc as well. The quality of national health service (NHS) depends exceptionally on the knowledge and practical skills of all these people. No wonder medical specialty in universities should meet the highest standards of education possible! What is more, in all Western European countries, USA and other countries of the world a medical doctor must be licensed or registered before he or she can start medical practice. If the physician fails to use all his or her possibilities to help the patient, if he or she is careless or deliberately harmful, this practitioner can be charged of medical malpractice. You can find many cases when docs were subjects to professional, civil or criminal sanctions. Fortunately, cases like that are seldom and as a rule people choose to be doctors because it is their calling! Who else but a willing creature agrees to deal with sick and unbearable patients for all the professional life!