With the vast improvement in medical science today, diseases can be diagnosed in a much shorter and more precise manner, providing the patients an opportunity to heal better and faster by giving them personalized and accurate medication. Patients don’t have to spend weeks under observation for diagnosis or be subjected to dangerous practices like being dipped in saltwater to obtain an ECG.
However, this was not the case a few centuries ago. Many practices, which are even considered cruel today, were regular in clinics. Life was more at risk because of the lack of basic knowledge such as hand-washing, sanitation, and antibiotics. With the discovery of new instruments and drugs, life expectancy is much higher today than in the 1800s. Take a look at how medicine has changed through the years.
Early Medicine
Ancient medicine was comprised of locally procured naturally occurring elements such as herbs, roots, and clay that were assumed to have healing properties. In old civilizations, the local doctors or shamans had a rough idea of the diseases people could have and their remedies. Still, it was hard to obtain an exact idea of the problem due to a significant lack of diagnostic machines and deep knowledge of diseases and biology. There was no knowledge of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms, but healers knew that food and the environment could cause diseases. Even though dangerous techniques like bloodletting, leeching, and treating snakebites with herbs have been removed from the scene, some techniques like acupuncture and herbal products are being used even today, especially in skincare, and quite effectively.
By the middle ages, medicine was only slightly better than before. Physicians did not understand mental disorders, and many transmittable diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy spread more because the doctors did not know how contagious they were, how they spread, what causes them, or how to cure the patients. This lack of knowledge was primarily why they saw many outbreaks of diseases, including the deadly plague that killed thousands of people in Europe. Doctors commonly carried out crude practices, some of which, like python bite for treating genital ulcers, are considered barbaric today. Others, like lobotomies, have evolved into safer and more effective techniques.
Modern Medicine
The 1800s and 1900s could be called the precursor or modern ancestors of modern medicine. With the discovery of the microscope, people could now see the actual causative agents of diseases. Research interest snowballed, and many accidental discoveries like radioactivity (later used for X-rays) and penicillin actually immensely helped doctors and patients. The exciting new developments brought more people into medical research, which, in turn, brought new inventions. Revolutionary technologies like antibiotics and antiseptics saved countless lives by preventing deaths at war and childbirth.
Today, modern medicine has brought more effective and targeted drugs, vaccines, and surgery without compromising or endangering the patient’s health. Medicine not only focuses on curing the patient’s disease but also limiting the discomfort and side-effects. When you go to a doctor, they will take time to accurately assess the problem and take step-by-step measures to treat it. The exposure of your body to harsh chemicals and surgical procedures is minimized and performed only when the lighter treatments don’t work.
Diversity in Modern Healthcare
Modern medicine has another essential branch – preventative healthcare. With the increase in globalization and internet usage, one can access ways to eat and live healthy, thus preventing future problems and nipping them at the bud. Doctors not only prescribe medicines after surgery but also physiotherapy and a diet-chart to bring back the lost health. Many diseases, like obesity and polycystic ovarian syndrome, can be treated or controlled by consulting a nutritionist and eating, living, and exercising right. This knowledge and practice of functional medicine is used to the greatest advantage in all clinics and hospitals worldwide by collaborating treatment with appropriate lifestyle changes for faster outcomes.
Compassionate care is also given high importance for the mental well-being of the patient. Healthcare professionals address the anxiety and non-verbal communication and give these issues as much importance as pain and verbal description of the actual problem. Patients are being treated with compassion, understanding, and kindness to reduce the stress, hence helping them heal faster and better. Patients are cared for and are allowed autonomy, hence giving them due importance and the opportunity to choose their treatment. They are made fully aware of the procedures and possible outcomes, positive and negative, and given the power to make an informed decision.
The development of medicine into a more sophisticated, specialized, and caring experience has taken centuries of research. Today’s medicine is more focused on ethics and improving the quality of life than a few centuries ago. The modernization and globalization that have occurred over the past few decades have greatly increased life expectancy and quality. The increased access to healthcare has made it affordable and possible for all to have a good life. Healthcare and medicine is one such field that continues to grow and improve, with new technology being discovered every day. It is not just the doctors at work but also physicists, biologists, chemists, and computational experts that bring their experience, knowledge, and innovation into the field for the greater good.
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