The Medical Field
The medical (or medical science) field is the scientific study of human health and disease. Medical science seeks to improve health and prolong life through research, diagnosis, and treatment. This is accomplished by using medicines, surgical procedures and other therapies. Medical scientists may also study basic biological processes, such as cell, DNA and organ development and function.
Modern medical practice is based on knowledge and understanding gained through research. It has gradually replaced early Western traditions based on herbalism and the Greek four humours, with modern scientific biomedical research that is repeatable, objective and verifiable. This in turn has led to the development of newer, more effective treatments for diseases such as smallpox, leprosy, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as a number of vaccines against infectious agents including influenza and other common childhood illnesses.
Medicine is a broad discipline divided into many different specialties. A physician’s training is often influenced by the specialty in which they intend to practise, and most medical specialties have their own professional bodies, known as Royal Colleges, that oversee standards of education and examinations.
Medical terms have an extremely complex vocabulary, a large part of which consists of Latin and Ancient Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes. The prefixes and suffixes indicate where the term originated from, for example, cytology refers to the microscopic study of cells; epidemiology, the study of demographics; genetics, the study of genes; and histology, the study of tissue samples, usually by light microscopy.
In addition to the above, a number of other medical terms have been developed in recent years that describe specific processes or activities. These include apoptosis, chromosome mutation, immunohistochemistry, neuronal inclusion, pathology, polymorphism, nonsense mutation and RT-PCR (polymerase chain reaction).
Clinical pharmacology, the application of pharmacology to the practice of medicine, is an essential part of modern medical care. This includes the prescribing of drugs and therapeutic interventions and the monitoring of drug efficacy, safety and tolerability.
In most parts of the world, tertiary care services are provided by specialised hospitals or regional centres equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities not available at local hospitals. The staff of a tertiary care hospital are generally highly trained health professionals, such as surgeons, physicians, nurses and emergency medical technicians and paramedics, allied health professionals and laboratory scientists, medical physicists and radiologists. All of these work as an interdisciplinary team to deliver modern medical care. In some cases, tertiary care is provided by private clinics. Such clinics offer specialist treatment in areas such as plastic surgery, burn care and high-risk obstetrics. They are also equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities for certain rare disorders, such as hemophilia.
The medical (or medical science) field is the scientific study of human health and disease. Medical science seeks to improve health and prolong life through research, diagnosis, and treatment. This is accomplished by using medicines, surgical procedures and other therapies. Medical scientists may also study basic biological processes, such as cell, DNA and organ development and function. Modern medical practice is based on knowledge and understanding gained through research. It has gradually replaced early Western traditions based on herbalism and the Greek four humours, with modern scientific biomedical research that is repeatable, objective and verifiable. This in turn has led to the development of newer, more effective treatments for diseases such as smallpox, leprosy, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as a number of vaccines against infectious agents including influenza and other common childhood illnesses. Medicine is a broad discipline divided into many different specialties. A physician’s training is often influenced by the specialty in which they intend to practise, and most medical specialties have their own professional bodies, known as Royal Colleges, that oversee standards of education and examinations. Medical terms have an extremely complex vocabulary, a large part of which consists of Latin and Ancient Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes. The prefixes and suffixes indicate where the term originated from, for example, cytology refers to the microscopic study of cells; epidemiology, the study of demographics; genetics, the study of genes; and histology, the study of tissue samples, usually by light microscopy. In addition to the above, a number of other medical terms have been developed in recent years that describe specific processes or activities. These include apoptosis, chromosome mutation, immunohistochemistry, neuronal inclusion, pathology, polymorphism, nonsense mutation and RT-PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Clinical pharmacology, the application of pharmacology to the practice of medicine, is an essential part of modern medical care. This includes the prescribing of drugs and therapeutic interventions and the monitoring of drug efficacy, safety and tolerability. In most parts of the world, tertiary care services are provided by specialised hospitals or regional centres equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities not available at local hospitals. The staff of a tertiary care hospital are generally highly trained health professionals, such as surgeons, physicians, nurses and emergency medical technicians and paramedics, allied health professionals and laboratory scientists, medical physicists and radiologists. All of these work as an interdisciplinary team to deliver modern medical care. In some cases, tertiary care is provided by private clinics. Such clinics offer specialist treatment in areas such as plastic surgery, burn care and high-risk obstetrics. They are also equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities for certain rare disorders, such as hemophilia.