What Is Medical?
Medical refers to the science and practice of treating illness and injuries. Medical professionals use medication and surgery to treat disease, injury, and disability. The medical profession is one of the world’s oldest and most respected. It was separated from veterinary medicine by Edward Jenner’s introduction of the smallpox vaccine in 1761 and Robert Koch’s discovery of bacteria as the cause of illness in the early 1800s. Medical advances have saved many lives and improved the quality of life for millions of people.
The practice of medicine involves a large number of health care professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and allied health personnel. Nurses, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, clinical laboratory scientists, dietitians, pharmacists, and physiotherapists all work together as an inter-disciplinary team to deliver modern health care. Medical records specialists and radiographers are also important members of the health care team.
Medicine is a huge field of study with many specialized areas of focus. These include anatomy (the study of the structure of living things), cytology and histology (the microscopic examination of cells and tissues), biochemistry (the chemistry that takes place in living organisms), and pharmacology (the study of drug action). Medical terminology is based on Latin roots and prefixes, and suffixes are used to indicate function, location, or type.
Most medical journals are aimed at improving medical practice by publishing sound scientific articles. However, many also have secondary journalistic goals such as increasing the impact factor or breaking hot medical news stories. In addition, because many medical journals are privately owned they must also balance these goals with their financial and ethical responsibilities.
Medical research is an essential component of the health care system. It provides the basis for establishing the diagnosis of disease, developing therapeutic agents, and ensuring the safety of medications. Traditionally, most medical research was done at university-based centers of excellence. Increasingly, research is performed at private companies, government agencies, and international organizations such as the World Health Organization.
The ethics of medical practice are based on principles such as beneficence (do no harm), justice, and non-maleficence (“first, do no harm”). Doctors who are negligent or intentionally harmful in their treatment of patients can be sued for malpractice. Modern medical treatment relies heavily on information technology, ranging from electronic patient records to diagnostic imaging equipment. Medical care also depends on a large number of highly trained health professionals who work outside the medical field, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics, medical records specialist and radiographers, veterinary surgeons, dental hygienists, and pharmacists. The quality of medical care is influenced by the availability of tertiary care facilities with the capability to handle complex cases such as organ transplants, high-risk pregnancy, and radiation oncology. These facilities are often located in major cities. The delivery of tertiary care is often subsidized by governments as part of the public healthcare system. Governments also provide funding to support medical research and development in their respective countries. This has resulted in the development of many new drugs and procedures.
Medical refers to the science and practice of treating illness and injuries. Medical professionals use medication and surgery to treat disease, injury, and disability. The medical profession is one of the world’s oldest and most respected. It was separated from veterinary medicine by Edward Jenner’s introduction of the smallpox vaccine in 1761 and Robert Koch’s discovery of bacteria as the cause of illness in the early 1800s. Medical advances have saved many lives and improved the quality of life for millions of people. The practice of medicine involves a large number of health care professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and allied health personnel. Nurses, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, clinical laboratory scientists, dietitians, pharmacists, and physiotherapists all work together as an inter-disciplinary team to deliver modern health care. Medical records specialists and radiographers are also important members of the health care team. Medicine is a huge field of study with many specialized areas of focus. These include anatomy (the study of the structure of living things), cytology and histology (the microscopic examination of cells and tissues), biochemistry (the chemistry that takes place in living organisms), and pharmacology (the study of drug action). Medical terminology is based on Latin roots and prefixes, and suffixes are used to indicate function, location, or type. Most medical journals are aimed at improving medical practice by publishing sound scientific articles. However, many also have secondary journalistic goals such as increasing the impact factor or breaking hot medical news stories. In addition, because many medical journals are privately owned they must also balance these goals with their financial and ethical responsibilities. Medical research is an essential component of the health care system. It provides the basis for establishing the diagnosis of disease, developing therapeutic agents, and ensuring the safety of medications. Traditionally, most medical research was done at university-based centers of excellence. Increasingly, research is performed at private companies, government agencies, and international organizations such as the World Health Organization. The ethics of medical practice are based on principles such as beneficence (do no harm), justice, and non-maleficence (“first, do no harm”). Doctors who are negligent or intentionally harmful in their treatment of patients can be sued for malpractice. Modern medical treatment relies heavily on information technology, ranging from electronic patient records to diagnostic imaging equipment. Medical care also depends on a large number of highly trained health professionals who work outside the medical field, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics, medical records specialist and radiographers, veterinary surgeons, dental hygienists, and pharmacists. The quality of medical care is influenced by the availability of tertiary care facilities with the capability to handle complex cases such as organ transplants, high-risk pregnancy, and radiation oncology. These facilities are often located in major cities. The delivery of tertiary care is often subsidized by governments as part of the public healthcare system. Governments also provide funding to support medical research and development in their respective countries. This has resulted in the development of many new drugs and procedures.