Medicine: A Science And Art

Medicine is all about dealing with the healing human ailments. It is both a science as well as art and includes a number of healthcare practices that have evolved over the ages with a view to providing better treatment as well as to prevent various illnesses. At one time, it involved use of practices that were mainly known in the Eastern countries of the world but after it became a science, it was practiced differently, especially in the Western world.

Pharmacy compounding is all about mixing drugs by a person known as a compounding pharmacist who does the mixing in a particular way to suit a patients needs. Often, this step is taken in order to change the very form of medication such as to turn it from solid to liquid and to also remove any ingredients in the medication that can cause an allergic reaction in the patient.

BHRT or Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a form of therapy in which hormones are used and which have the same endogenous hormones. It is also a term that refers to pharmacy compounding and blood/saliva testing as well as involves reaching a particular level of hormones (as established through blood/saliva testing) in the human body.

The history of medicine goes back to prehistoric times when herbalism was widely practiced and when parts of animals and use of minerals were also part of such treatment options. In some cases, many of the materials used to treat illnesses were also part of rituals as practiced by shamans and priests and by medicine men.

The earliest recorded instances of use of medicines show that it was in ancient Egypt and in Babylonia and in India that such practices were first used. Classical Chinese medicinal uses as too ancient Greek medications and Roman medicinal practices also go back a long way in time. Imhotep from about third Millennium BC is believed to be the first physician.

Sri Lanka is believed to be the first country to have had a dedicated hospital where patients were treated. In India, the first person to perform surgery was known as Sushruta who performed the earliest known form of plastic surgery.

Hippocrates is considered the father of medicine as he was responsible for laying the foundation of a more rational medicinal approach. The Hippocratic Oath for physicians is still used today and it was Hippocrates who categorized illnesses according to levels of severity including endemic, chronic, acute and epidemic. He was also the first to coin terms such as relapse, and exacerbation and paroxysm and crisis as well as convalescence and peak.

Galen, a Greek physician is believed to be one of the best surgeons of the ancient world and he was responsible for performing some truly amazing operations such as performing surgery on the eyes and the brain.

Today, the practice of medicine has been truly revolutionized and this is because of information science being practiced on a more global scale. Today, medicine is mostly being conducted within a healthcare system and is much more complex than the basic forms that were practiced when it all began.