The word medicine comes from the Latin "medicīna" and in turn from the word "mederi", which means; «Medicate or cure», the management of knowledge, procedures is given by adding the suffix «ina» which means «matter of». Medicine is a science in charge of the study of the life and death of human beings, it specializes in all areas that refer to their health, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. In other words, it is the art that deals with the maintenance of health or with curing and preventing conditions and ailments in an individual.
What is medicine
Table of Contents
Medicine is a science whose objective is the study of living beings, to treat their health, and also to investigate the conditions that exist in the world, apply a cure and try to prevent diseases. A reference can also be made to natural medicine, as said in the previous section, due to its effectiveness with the different diseases that humans can suffer. Thanks to it you can apply medicine for stomach pain, allergy medicine and even medicine for diarrhea.
On the other hand, medicines or components are called medicine, which are prescribed by doctors, that help heal or prevent a disease, and also to alleviate physical ailments
Medicine is included in the long list of what the health sciences are and, in fact, it is fundamental because of how generic it can be. This science is made up of several branches that will be developed throughout this content and each one of them makes the objective and main purpose of medicine fully fulfilled.
There is also what is known as traditional medicine, it is a time of more natural health care and that involves home remedies derived from natural ingredients. It could be said that it is a type of alternative medicine that has been applied since ancient times, in fact, it is still in force today in different regions of the world.
This is also known as natural medicine and not only covers the subject of inspection of human or animal anatomy, but also the types of medications that can be used to treat mild or severe conditions. Having touched on these issues, it is not too difficult to identify what medicine is and what its true objective is, however, this science has endless aspects that are worth explaining in depth.
With internal medicine you can get to the genesis of discomforts or diseases of living beings. It is important to mention homeopathic medicine and its impact today. Why? because it is a type of preventive medicine that establishes that substances or microorganisms that cause discomfort in healthy people or living beings can cure patients with a disease.
This can be seen in the different branches of medicine and even in the specialties of medicine. The history and the purposes of this science mark a before and after in the world and will be explained at length below.
The history of medicine
Like all science, medicine has a genesis, a history that opened the way to time and that, thanks to the most notable scholars, managed to climb to become one of the most important sciences for the human being, because it is thanks to it that a diagnosis, possible cure, and treatment can be reached that not only stops the disease, but also prevents it.
During prehistory, minerals, parts of animals and plants were the most important medicines for man, their application was called by scholars as medical anthropology and this was used by sorcerers, shamans, fortune tellers, priests, spiritualists, etc.
The purposes of medicine
During ancient times, medicine appeared in various countries, including Greece, Egypt, India, and China. And in this way, iconic characters appeared that gave the world a turn with the knowledge of medicine they came to possess, one of them and the most important one worth noting was Hippocrates, who is currently considered the father of medicine due to the great services he performed, including the oath named after him.
The oath of hippocrates is a text related to the ethics and professionalism of the world's doctors and which describes in detail the purposes of medicine: "Respect the patient first and foremost and assist them with the best medical wisdom"
Areas of medicine
It is also known as the branches of medicine. It is a series of sciences whose basis of existence is medicine. Each of them has a specific purpose, so that they can isolate, study and treat a specific topic, for example, homeopathic medicine, which is responsible for finding substances that affect the human body and use them to cure conditions, as mentioned above. It is not difficult to identify each of the branches of medicine, however, today the most important ones will be mentioned.
Pathological anatomy
As a branch of the health sciences, especially medicine, pathological anatomy has as its main priority to investigate, discover and study all those factors that generate diseases, their development and the possible consequences that they project on the body of a living being. Diagnoses are carried out by biopsies, autopsies and cytologies. If it focuses directly on medicine, this branch is directed directly to humans, however, this does not mean that it does not evaluate conditions related to the rest of living beings.
Cardiology
In this case, it is a discipline that not only studies the behavior of the heart, but also the entire circulatory system or apparatus. Diseases that have to do with the main organ of the human body and the circulatory system are the priority of this branch.
The subjects responsible for carrying out this work are called cardiologists, now, at the surgical level, it is another person who performs specialized studies and is called a cardiovascular surgeon. This field can be as broad and complex as medicine, it has its own sub-specialties and is currently of great importance throughout the world.
Dermatology
Its approach is directed to the skin, to the diseases that can damage it, the treatment that could end the discomfort caused and an agile and effective way to avoid these types of problems. The person in charge of exercising dermatological work is called a dermatologist.
This branch also has an important specialty from a cosmetic angle. For a few years, people have tried to get rid of the marks caused by acne and blackheads, it is there that cosmetic dermatology makes an appearance and solves these types of problems.
Endocrinology
As its name implies, this discipline works by evaluating the behavior of the endocrine system and any type of problems that may affect it due to a faulty operation. Within the list of diseases that are attacked by endocrinology, are diabetes, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. These conditions have in common the high or low production of different substances important for the human body, including hormones and insulin.
The endocrinologist is the person in charge of exercising this discipline, although he must also know about nutrition because it is one of the ways to treat diseases.
epidemiology
It evaluates the number of diseases that can exist worldwide, their possible distribution and the way in which they become contracted. It is thanks to her that each of the conditions has been known since ancient times, until those that still predominate in the 21st century. This branch is extremely important and has intervention in biomedicine and social sciences because it manages to determine the human populations in which a certain disease is common, how it works, is distributed and affects people and, most importantly, if it is capable of occur in other parts of the world.
Gastroenterology
The focus of this branch is the digestive system and all the organs related to it, including the stomach, esophagus, colon, rectum, intestine and pancreas. The diseases that can affect these organs are liver cirrhosis, ulcers and cancer.
Generally, some viruses are present that affect the stomach and consequently produce a discharge of stool and stomach pains. The person in charge of executing this discipline of medicine is called a gastroenterologist.
One of the most common conditions treated in his office is colitis, which can cause dehydration and in some cases death, this specialist is the one who prescribes some type of medicine for diarrhea only in cases that really deserve it.
Genetics
This, in addition to being a branch of medicine, is fundamentally an object of study of biology, because thanks to it, genetic inheritance in humans can be discovered. This is achieved through DNA and there not only familiarity between individuals is checked, but also about possible diseases that may be congenitally acquired. Biochemistry and molecular biology are in charge of focusing on this branch. DNA can be as vast and fascinating as many other sciences, but none have the ability to replicate a cell like this one does.
Gynecology
This branch focuses solely on women and their reproductive organs. Its objective is to know everything related to the vagina, uterus and, therefore, the ovaries, from their correct functioning to the diseases that they can harbor due to congenital issues, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.
This branch is also related to obstetrics because it is in the uterus where life occurs, so most gynecologists also obtain the title of obstetrics. Those who specialize in the area, often say that this discipline is beautiful, very broad and provides many satisfactions to people interested in studying gynecology.
Infectology
This branch is extremely interesting because it specializes in studying parasites, bacteria, fungi and any other element that can generate an infectious disease. Viruses are the most common today, which is why infectology focuses so much on them. It has a lot to do with internal medicine and, in fact, many medical books contain topics related to this broad discipline.
Immunology
Like genetics, it is a discipline of biology that has a place in medicine and its objective is to assess the human immune system, how it works, how it is and if it has altered or lower values of the normal.
The immune response comes almost immediately upon perceiving a microorganism that should not be found within the human anatomy, this can be reflected by fevers, which represent an infectious degree in the body.
Nephrology
Its functions are focused directly on the renal system of the human body, that implies its state of health and the way to cope or eliminate the diseases that it may harbor. The urinary viaduct is delicate and easily susceptible to infection, so nephrology does quite an important job.
Neonatology
This is an area of pediatrics, but it is more selective and is a specialty that encompasses the life of a human being from the time he is a newborn to the first 28 days of birth. In itself, it studies the evolution of them, the possible diseases that you contract or have congenitally.
Pneumology
This discipline studies the diseases that the human respiratory system may suffer. But he also watches over their health, is in charge of studying it, analyzing it and looking for all kinds of information that helps when fighting diseases. Generally, it is commonly flu or mild respiratory problems, however, there are possibilities that problems related to asthma or that have complete or partial relationship with the heart.
Neurology
This branch of medicine focuses on studying all the sudden changes that the human nervous system may have. It is a broad discipline, complicated but no less important. Generally, the problems usually appear in the central nervous system, however, in the peripheral and autonomic systems, they can also suffer from some mild or really serious problems.
Obstetrics
Its function is directly related to pregnancy and childbirth, although it is also important to mention that the puerperium is also part of its objects of study and scope. As mentioned previously, obstetrics is also closely related to gynecology precisely because the organs it studies are female reproductive organs. In some countries, this discipline is explained as a branch of sexual and, therefore, reproductive health and it is something quite positive.
Ophthalmology
This discipline of medicine investigates everything related to the eyeball, from its health to the different diseases that can harm it, some of them are cataracts, glaucoma, myopia, astigmatism, etc. Currently, the number of people suffering from ophthalmological diseases is multiplying and that is because they are constantly straining their eyes, either for work, or for reasons beyond their control. It is not difficult to realize that you are suffering from an eye problem, since sight is what human beings use the most and, at the time of wear, it usually fails.
Medical oncology
The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of cancer is the main focus of this discipline. Due to the amount of different types of cancer that the human body can suffer, this branch is extremely broad, even more so when it also covers the treatments that can be applied to patients, the evolution that they have and, in the worst of the cases, evaluate the decay of each person and the way in which the corporal deterioration can be delayed. Oncology itself relies on medications and patient monitoring.
Pediatrics
This is one of the broadest branches that medicine has and that is because its object of study is children. It is not only based on evaluating their behavior, but also covers diseases that tend to damage the nervous system of children. Pediatrics seeks a way to prevent children from suffering from diseases and, if they already have them, treat them until they are eradicated. The people who are in charge of practicing this discipline are called pediatricians and they need to have this academic specialty in order to work.
Psychiatry
Evaluate, study and analyze the disorders that the human mind can harbor. These disorders can have a genetic genesis or simply be acquired by some type of trauma or use of narcotic and psychotropic substances. From a broad point of view, what psychiatry seeks is to study the human mind, find its flaws, evaluate diseases, treat them and eradicate them, although in reality the correct term is rehabilitate, since most mental disorders have no cure, however, they can be treated to improve the patient's quality of life.
Traumatology
Although many think that it is about mental illnesses or disorders, in reality traumatology is based on the study and treatment of injuries suffered by the locomotor system. It is a surgical area with risks, but generally most of the operations are carried out successfully and patients regain mobility in the limb or part of the body that has suffered the injury. These injuries can be due to congenital issues or simply accidents.
It is important to note that traumatology does not have scope in all congenital diseases, only those in which it is possible to intervene surgically or with prosthetics.
Toxicology
It studies the chemical, physical and biological agents that people can ingest, inhale or inject themselves. Generally speaking of narcotic and psychotropic substances, that does not mean that it does not include other harmful agents for humans. These substances can cause diseases and toxicology also focuses on identifying and treating them immediately.
Urology
This is a completely masculine discipline, because in addition to studying the entire urinary tract of man, his specialties are the male reproductive system and the prostate. The diseases appear at a certain age, almost always after 45 years, however, it is possible that men have congenital diseases and that they should go to a urologist. This discipline has wide areas that are not only responsible for ruling out diseases, but also treating and even avoiding them.
Special applications of medicine
Medicine can be applied in different areas, from nuclear medicine to legal medicine. The specialties of medicine have as much scope as the rest of the existing sciences around the world. Nuclear medicine, for example, focuses on treating diseases through specific and special radiopharmaceuticals. Now, in this section we will talk in a summarized way about each of the special applications that this science has, how they work and what their main objective is within medicine and in other disciplines.
Work Medicine
Not only is it responsible for covering the health sciences within a specific work environment, but it also covers all accidents that occur within the workplace due to the same work activity.
Occupational medicine has the duty to establish preventive measures at work, in this way all kinds of accidents are avoided, work is always done while maintaining prudence and safety of the place and maintaining health. Any accident that occurs within the company and that has been caused by labor efforts, is subject to this aspect.
Sports medicine
Also defined as sports medicine, it focuses on evaluating the results of sports in children, adolescents and even in adults who practice some type of sport, either professionally or as a recreational activity. The effects of sports or exercises must always be positive and, if not, it is the obligation of sports medicine to find the genesis of the problem, attack it, eradicate it or, failing that, treat it to guarantee a better quality of life.
Family and community medicine
It is a health care that is applied in different countries. Evaluate the patient as a whole, habits, reason for consultation, symptoms that he presents, etc. Many say that it focuses too much on the environment of the people and leaves the disease aside and that is why it is called primary and community care.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
It is better known as physiatry and it is in charge of identifying, evaluating and monitoring the disease that is afflicting the patient, but in addition to that, it looks for a way that it can be eradicated and finally make the patient successfully rehabilitate. The methods he uses to achieve his goal are therapeutic and pharmacological. Most of the people who go to this type of medicine obtain favorable results and return to their lives in a normal way.
Forensic Medicine
It is a medical jurisprudence and has a legal scope in many countries of the world. It is basically responsible for determining the causes of injuries present in a person, as well as the origin of death through analyzes carried out on the corpses. It focuses on taking into account everything related to medicine in order to settle legal controversies, generally it is criminal cases, directly to rape, physical and even psychological abuse.
Currently, this aspect has a wide reach throughout the world, there are careers that take it into account and rely on it when practicing, among them, law and criminalistics. Among them, legal medicine, where it has many application methods, however, the best known is the legal medical examination, through which a series of tests are carried out on the victim to find injuries of a legal medical type.
Nuclear medicine
As mentioned previously, this type of discipline has a wide scope, it treats conditions using radiology and radiopharmaceuticals not only to treat them, but also to find a way to eradicate them in the shortest possible time. This type of medicine makes use of radioactive substances in order to capture internal images of the body and thus be able to provide an ideal treatment for the disease
Veterinary Medicine
Just as medicine looks after the health of humans, there is also a branch of this science that focuses purely on animals, their health, diseases and the prevention of those same conditions. Veterinary medicine does not settle only for domestic species, it also has a wide scope in wild or wild animals. It is extremely important to note that serious health problems and injuries are also treated by veterinarians. All over the world there are medical offices that work 24 hours precisely to treat the energies that may arise.
Homeopathic medicine
Homeopathic medicine, more than a medical specialty, is a philosophy that supports the idea that the human organism is fully capable of healing itself.
In previous sections mention was made of a type of medicine that takes substances that make people sick to achieve a special cure that can eradicate the health problems of other patients, well, it is this discipline, one that has currently had much impact and that, thanks to them, cures for different diseases have been found. It is said that in the coming years they will find a cure for incurable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, etc.
It is not an easy discipline, it requires a vocation, but despite having its detractors, it is considered by those who support it as extremely special and important.
Preventive medicine
Generally known as public health, it has broad but also determined functions, since it investigates, encourages and applies different activities that manage to promote awareness in society about what health is. It is really interesting to know what the people who promote this discipline have to say, the solutions to the different diseases that are spread by a health and / or social deficiency, the help they provide in the smallest and most needy communities. It is a subject that is worth studying and promoting, not only for the current generation, but also for those that will continue throughout the years.
How to study medicine
Although many people think that medicine is the same around the world, in reality each country has its curriculum and the way to apply the medical knowledge learned. Although the branches and types of medicine are seen in the medical school, not all countries have the same subjects of study and even the academic years vary according to the region. Yes, you need many books, visiting medical museums to learn about history and the first scholars of this beautiful science, but most importantly, to know everything related to the medical career to achieve the goals.
The specialties of medicine, as well as its branches, will make the student have an interest in one of them and want to practice one in the future. The medical school is usually very large, with all the information necessary to succeed in the studies and with a series of competent professors who will help the student throughout the medical career. Like any other profession, this one has its ups and downs, the difficulties increase as the years go by, but for those who choose this career, in the end, it is worth it and it is something that very few people regret studying.
What is legal medicine
It is an auxiliary discipline of criminal law, a science that has scope in medicine and even psychiatry.
Previously it was said that forensic medicine, also known as legal medicine, is in charge of finding all kinds of injuries in a specific victim in order to solve unknowns and solve problems that are related to the law. It is said that this science is auxiliary at the criminal level because the expert or expert helps, aids and assists the judge so that he can make an objective decision in the trial, taking into account the evidence provided by the forensic doctor.
In legal medicine, not only are expertises made on a corpse through autopsy or necropsy, but also on living people who have experienced any type of violence, be it rape, robbery, attempted murder, etc. Within the functions of the expert or expert, this can determine if the officials acted in accordance with due process, determine the form, time and cause of death and help to do justice. During the investigation process, the presence of the medical examiner is essential.
