Medicina

People have always been concerned with their health. Everyone, at some time, knows the frustration, inconvenience, fear, and pain that comes with illness. Many years ago, injury and disease were attributes to possession by an evil spirit, a disturbance in the natural balance of physical and chemical forces, or the anger of the gods. Throughout history, there have been countless techniques toprevent and cure illness and preserve health. Magic and payer, heating and cooling cutting and burning potions and foods have all been used. All these, as well as modern science, comprise the field of medicine.
The legendary father of medicine, a man named Hippocrates, was born in Greece in 460 B.C. His medical observations became well-known in the Western world and physician are still requires totake the Hippocratic Oath and practice their profession according to its principles.
Hippocrates was not the first to make medical discoveries worth noting and remembering, however. The tombs of the Egyptians contain drawings of surgical operations performed in Egypt as early as 3000 B.C. The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi dated 2040 B.C. contain statements on doctor-patient relationships andmedical ethics. Early medical documents and prescription lists have been discovered. In China, acupuncture was developed centuries ago to treat a wide variety of ailments.
Despite these early discoveries, society relied on folk beliefs to provide a rationale for medical treatment. For instance, people believed that wearing a dirty sock around the neck offered protection against the common cold or thatputting on is shoes upside down under the bed helped prevent cramps in the legs. Tobacco juice in the era was reputed to help an earache, while black pepper and lard were supposed to cure asthma. Pregnant women were not supposed to hang clothes on a clothesline for fear they might produce knots in the umbilical cord. Amulets and incantations were trusted medical devices.
In the middle ages anepidemic of bubonic plague, often called the “Black Death”, ravaged Europe. Similar experiences provided the impetus for scientist to work more determinedly on solutions for medical problems. This marked the beginning of the scientific approach to medicine.
In 1515 the first public dissection of a human cadaver, or dead body, was performed. Dissection enabled physicians to identify and study thehuman body’s skeleton, the heart and its circulatory system, the major nerves, the stomach and other digestive organs, and so on. Without a thorough knowledge of anatomy, little medical progress could have been made.
In 1545, the first pharmacy was opened in London. Prescription medicines had been administered prior to this time, but establishment of this shop indicates that medication was becomingan accepted means of treating disease. Today many thousands of drugs are used to treat illness; those that are potentially dangerous or addictive must be prescribed by a physician. Among these are the antibiotics and the narcotic drugs such as morphine. Drugs not considered harmful, like aspirin and vitamins, are sold without a prescription.
The microscope was invented in 1590. This tool hassince become indispensable in the diagnosis of disease. Laboratory technicians use it regularly to analyze specimens of blood, urine and tissue; their reports provide physicians with valuable information which could not otherwise be known.
The history of medicine is full of major turning points. The first blood transfusion was performed in 1667. In 1669 a law to control communicable diseases wasenacted in the American colony of Massachusetts. In 1769 New York City made the first attempt to regulate the practice of medicine. In 1985 Roentgen discovered the X-ray to detect abnormalities inside the body where the eye cannot see.
In the twentieth century major advances have been made in nearly every area of medicine. Open-heart surgery has been developed. Organ transplants are sometimes...