What is Medical?
Medical is the branch of knowledge that deals with human health and disease. It encompasses many disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, medical genetics, microbiology, embryology, cytology, obstetrics and gynaecology, endocrinology, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics and philosophy. In addition, there are a number of interdisciplinary fields such as epidemiology, environmental medicine and medical anthropology.
Medical practitioners are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases and injuries. This involves a thorough history and physical examination of the patient, taking into account both their immediate symptoms and related factors such as family health, lifestyle and environment. The physician then draws up a treatment plan which may include medications, diet, exercise or surgery. The patient is then seen for follow up to assess whether the treatment is working and to make any necessary adjustments.
Physicians also need to be able to recognise when they are not able to solve a patient’s problem, and refer them to a specialist. This is called the “Golden Rule” and is a fundamental principle of medical ethics.
There are several different types of articles in medical journals, ranging from commentary to perspective. A commentary is the subjective thoughts and opinions of an author, whereas a perspective takes a stance on an issue in the field of medicine. Both are usually found in the opinion pages of medical journals, but a commentary is more likely to be an op-ed piece.
The earliest forms of medicine were based on spiritual beliefs and natural remedies. These included the use of plants (herbalism), animal parts and minerals. In prehistoric times these were combined with prayer, spiritualism and shamanism. Some of these practices are still practised, particularly by traditional healers.
Modern medical knowledge is constantly being expanded. A recent development is the application of information technology to medical research and practice. This has allowed scientists to collect and analyse large amounts of data, and has resulted in the development of new medical treatments.
The basic sciences of medicine are biology, chemistry and physics, which underpin much of medical science. Other important disciplines are nutrition, which studies how food affects the body; pharmacology, which is the study of drugs; and pathology, which investigates disease by analysing samples of blood, urine or tissue. There are also a number of interdisciplinary fields such a medical genetics, where a combination of biological and chemical sciences is used; and medical anthropology, which examines the way in which culture influences illness.
Medical is the branch of knowledge that deals with human health and disease. It encompasses many disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, medical genetics, microbiology, embryology, cytology, obstetrics and gynaecology, endocrinology, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics and philosophy. In addition, there are a number of interdisciplinary fields such as epidemiology, environmental medicine and medical anthropology. Medical practitioners are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases and injuries. This involves a thorough history and physical examination of the patient, taking into account both their immediate symptoms and related factors such as family health, lifestyle and environment. The physician then draws up a treatment plan which may include medications, diet, exercise or surgery. The patient is then seen for follow up to assess whether the treatment is working and to make any necessary adjustments. Physicians also need to be able to recognise when they are not able to solve a patient’s problem, and refer them to a specialist. This is called the “Golden Rule” and is a fundamental principle of medical ethics. There are several different types of articles in medical journals, ranging from commentary to perspective. A commentary is the subjective thoughts and opinions of an author, whereas a perspective takes a stance on an issue in the field of medicine. Both are usually found in the opinion pages of medical journals, but a commentary is more likely to be an op-ed piece. The earliest forms of medicine were based on spiritual beliefs and natural remedies. These included the use of plants (herbalism), animal parts and minerals. In prehistoric times these were combined with prayer, spiritualism and shamanism. Some of these practices are still practised, particularly by traditional healers. Modern medical knowledge is constantly being expanded. A recent development is the application of information technology to medical research and practice. This has allowed scientists to collect and analyse large amounts of data, and has resulted in the development of new medical treatments. The basic sciences of medicine are biology, chemistry and physics, which underpin much of medical science. Other important disciplines are nutrition, which studies how food affects the body; pharmacology, which is the study of drugs; and pathology, which investigates disease by analysing samples of blood, urine or tissue. There are also a number of interdisciplinary fields such a medical genetics, where a combination of biological and chemical sciences is used; and medical anthropology, which examines the way in which culture influences illness.