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Medicine has become an integral part of our lives. When we are sick we hastily call our doc, go to the chemistry to purchase the medicines we require 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 major types of up-to-date medicine.

The word medicine comes from the Latin “ars medicina”, meaning “the art of healing”. Medicine these days is a profoundly scienctific activity, but you should also remember that it is a type of art - the art of healing humans. The main tasks of contemporary medicine is maintaining and restoring health by means of prevention and treatment of different health issues. Usual medicine sprang up as a number of healing arts and systems based on traditional story-told non-scientific practices.

By the way, alternative medicine today has a certain power, too. Why, you might ask? You see, sometimes official medicine is powerless to cure many horrible health disorders and injuries such as cancers, diabetes, AIDS, autoimmune diseases, spinal injuries etc. The point is official medicine is perfect at finding out symptoms characteristic for certain health disorders and injuries and at prescribing medications and medical handling able to relieve the patient’s pain and suffering. But often it is unable of finding the reason why the disease starts. On the contrary, alternative medicine still remembers that we possess intellect, body and soul. Anger and hate that you keep inside you alongside with negative emotions you have every day of your life damage your soul, litter your head and ruin your body.

Unlike chaotic approaches of healers, modern medicine is empoweredl with health science, biomedical research and medical technology - it can diagnose and treat injuries and diseases of all sorts. traditionally it applies medication, surgery and some other forms of therapy. The main part of physicians try to remember how important it is for the ill patient to feel care and compassion, to have a personal contact with the doctor, that is why they follow the strict set of rules known as bedside manner.

Many millennia ago our forefathers noticed that certain plants, animal parts and minerals help healing injuries and wounds and treat various diseases. It was not the knowledge for everyone - priests, shamans, healers and medicine men treated them as purely magical substances.
From ancient records we learn 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 individuals tried to help others in getting well! Imhotep is the first name of the physician preserved in the history of medicine. He was an Egyptian and lived about 3rd millennium BC! The stunning truth is that ancient texts and encryptions tell us that many centuries ago there were dedicated medicinal treatment facilities for patients (like hospitals these days) and numerous surgical operations including cosmetic surgery!

You surely know that ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates is believed to be “the father of medicine” for establishing 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 diseases as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic. In addition to it, contemporary medical men use a number of special words invented by Hippocrates - relapse, resolution, paroxysm, peak, exacerbation, crisis, convalescence are only a few of them!

Surprisingly, the Western world did not develop bright ideas of ancient physicians after the fall 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 introduced the famous Cannon of Medicine.

Medical science interested Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries when awful Black Death ravaged Europe killing up to 30-60% of its population. This incredibly dangerous pandemic made doctors forget about the ‘traditional authority’ approach to science and medicine and look for alternative decisions. Practitioners like Ibn al-Nafis and Vesalius did a great job developing or criticizing numerous approaches from the past.

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

The 20th century was a real display of medical events and investigations. It is impossible to enumerate all the outstanding doctors whose innovations and experiments led to new treatments and the use of revolutionary meds!

Contemporary pharmacology inherited the old knowledge of herbalism and incorporated a number of ideas of the chemistry, but nevertheless, a long list of pills are still derived from plants. For example atropine used in ophthalmology and gastroenterology, ephedrine effective for men and women 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 medicines reduced their side-effects due to innovative ways of production and what is more, new meds are designed for complete compatibility with a human body!

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

Up-to-date medicine can be named 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.

Modern medicine is first of all the practice where doctors personally assess patients to examine, diagnose and treat them. So, as you guess the famous TV diagnostic genius Gregory House is not a usual practitioner at all! When you visit a practitioner the standard procedure is like that:
- it starts 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 important for the doctor to know every truthful detail and symptom - otherwise right diagnosing is impossible! Forget about being shy or squeamish when you visit your doc - tell him or her everything that you find strange and suspicious - that might be helpful. The medical appointment is documented 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 get a sick leave if the issue is simple and take the drugs prescribed by your physician. 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 every civilized country. It is important to ensure that every patient has access to medical care irrespective of the personality’s ability to pay for the service. That is why it is so essential to establish state-owned and charitable hospitals and clinics.

The medical personnel consist not only of MDs. Well-trained nurses, paramedics and emergency medical technicians help their patients 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 men and women. 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 doctor fails to use all his or her possibilities to help the patient, if he or she is careless or intentionally harmful, this physician can be charged of medical malpractice. You can find many cases when medical men were subjects to professional, civil or criminal sanctions. Fortunately, cases like that are seldom and as a rule individuals decide to be doctors because it is their vocation! Who else but a willing creature agrees to deal with sick and nervous patients for all the professional life!