Month: January 2024

Medical is the discipline concerned with the causes, course and resolution of disease. It is a combination of art (the practice of restoring health through the use of drugs and surgical techniques) and science (the study of biological functions). Medicine covers many specialties, such as gynecology, neurology, internal medicine and gastroenterology. It also includes veterinary medicine, which is the treatment of domestic and wild animals. It is a highly technical field and, even for non-specialists, understanding the underlying science is challenging. The history of medicine is a long and complex one, with the first traces dating back to ancient times. Early Western medicine was based on folklore and pre-modern scientific ideas, such as the theory of the four humors. This gradually gave way to modern scientific biomedical research, led by scientists such as Edward Jenner and Robert Koch, which developed vaccines for smallpox and other diseases. Most modern healthcare systems provide comprehensive coverage for the cost of hospitalization and medications. These are typically funded by taxpayers, but some wealthy countries also maintain private insurance systems. Medical care has also expanded to include the prevention and monitoring of diseases through screening programmes and public education. There are also a number of specific areas of medicine: Conservation medicine, for example, encompasses the impact of humans and non-human animals on ecosystems; diving medicine deals with problems related to human and animal diving; forensic medicine studies the medical evidence that may be found in criminal investigations such as identification, the time of death, cause of injury or the type of weapon used to inflict a wound; and epidemiology, which involves the study of diseases in populations and their causes. Other specialized fields within medicine include clinical update articles, which are shorter pieces highlighting new developments around a particular condition; and regulatory medical writing, which is the preparation of documents for the approval of medicines or devices. The latter is particularly difficult, as it requires a good understanding of the regulatory authorities’ requirements. The practice of medicine is also influenced by a number of other disciplines, including the social sciences (history, philosophy, ethics, religion and cultural studies) and the arts (literature, theatre and music). It is also influenced by the philosophy of science, which outlines a set of criteria for validating scientific claims. This is known as the scientific method. It is this method that is followed by all doctors when making decisions about their patients. Medical writers must be familiar with the principles of this methodology, and should always be aware of their own limitations. This is important because of the wide scope for misunderstanding that can arise when the language of science is misused or misunderstood. For this reason, they should take great care when preparing clinical updates and other articles for publication. The best medical writers are meticulous in their research and ensure that all of the relevant information is presented clearly to their readers. See our guide to medical writing for more information.