What Is Medical?
Medical is an academic and professional field that encompasses a wide range of disciplines involved in the study of human illness and its causes. It includes medical science (the study of disease and the methods of treatment), biomedical engineering (the application of engineering principles to medicine) and clinical pharmacology (the practice of prescribing medicines). Medical technology encompasses all devices and equipment that are used in the diagnosis, treatment or care of patients.
The modern scientific approach to medicine began with Edward Jenner’s discovery of the smallpox vaccine in 1761, and grew further with Robert Koch’s discoveries about bacteria and other microorganisms. These developments led to the establishment of modern biological research and the replacement of herbalism and the ancient Greek concept of the four humours in Western medicine with a focus on scientifically testable results.
Today’s medicine is a highly specialised field. Physicians have training that allows them to be qualified in a number of sub-fields including internal medicine (a broad scope covering various organ systems and diseases), surgery and a range of other surgical specialties, radiology, pathology and anaesthesia. Most countries require doctors to be licensed, and to maintain their licences they must regularly update their knowledge and skills. This is intended to limit the practice of quackery and protect patients from incompetent practitioners.
In addition to the above fields, there are many other specialised medical disciplines such as forensic medicine, public health, environmental health and Occupational Medicine. Many advanced industrialised countries have universal or national health care systems that guarantee access to medical services based on need rather than ability to pay, and may also provide social security for those who cannot afford private insurance.
Within medicine there are many sub-fields that can be classified as general, or more specifically women’s health. These include obstetrics and gynaecology, which are concerned with the medical and surgical management of the female reproductive system and associated structures. Pediatrics covers the medical and surgical management of infants, children and adolescents; and geriatrics is concerned with the health and wellbeing of older people. Other medical specialist areas include psychiatry, neurology and ophthalmology. A medical science that is gaining importance is genetics, which studies the origin, transmission and expression of hereditary information.
Medical is an academic and professional field that encompasses a wide range of disciplines involved in the study of human illness and its causes. It includes medical science (the study of disease and the methods of treatment), biomedical engineering (the application of engineering principles to medicine) and clinical pharmacology (the practice of prescribing medicines). Medical technology encompasses all devices and equipment that are used in the diagnosis, treatment or care of patients. The modern scientific approach to medicine began with Edward Jenner’s discovery of the smallpox vaccine in 1761, and grew further with Robert Koch’s discoveries about bacteria and other microorganisms. These developments led to the establishment of modern biological research and the replacement of herbalism and the ancient Greek concept of the four humours in Western medicine with a focus on scientifically testable results. Today’s medicine is a highly specialised field. Physicians have training that allows them to be qualified in a number of sub-fields including internal medicine (a broad scope covering various organ systems and diseases), surgery and a range of other surgical specialties, radiology, pathology and anaesthesia. Most countries require doctors to be licensed, and to maintain their licences they must regularly update their knowledge and skills. This is intended to limit the practice of quackery and protect patients from incompetent practitioners. In addition to the above fields, there are many other specialised medical disciplines such as forensic medicine, public health, environmental health and Occupational Medicine. Many advanced industrialised countries have universal or national health care systems that guarantee access to medical services based on need rather than ability to pay, and may also provide social security for those who cannot afford private insurance. Within medicine there are many sub-fields that can be classified as general, or more specifically women’s health. These include obstetrics and gynaecology, which are concerned with the medical and surgical management of the female reproductive system and associated structures. Pediatrics covers the medical and surgical management of infants, children and adolescents; and geriatrics is concerned with the health and wellbeing of older people. Other medical specialist areas include psychiatry, neurology and ophthalmology. A medical science that is gaining importance is genetics, which studies the origin, transmission and expression of hereditary information.