Medicine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the science and art of healing. For medicaments, see Pharmaceutical drug. For other uses, see Medicine (disambiguation).

Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing inGreek mythology. Depictions of the serpent-entwined rod of Asclepius are frequently used to represent medicine.

Medicine (British English

/mdsn/; American English

/mdsn/) is the science and practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.[1][2] The

word medicine is derived from the Latin ars medicina, meaning the art of healing.[3][4] Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and
restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness.
Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically
through pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external splints and traction, prostheses, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst
others.[5]
Medicine has existed for thousands of years, during most of which it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to
the religious and philosophical beliefs of local culture. For example, a medicine manwould apply herbs and say prayers for healing, or an ancient philosopher
and physician would apply bloodletting according to the theories of humorism. In recent centuries, since the advent of science, most medicine has become a combination of art
and science (both basic and applied, under the umbrella of medical science). While stitching technique for sutures is an art learned through practice, the knowledge of what
happens at the cellular and molecularlevel in the tissues being stitched arises through science.
Prescientific forms of medicine are now known as traditional medicine and folk medicine. They remain commonly used with or instead of scientific medicine and are thus
called alternative medicine. For example, evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture is "variable and inconsistent" for any condition,[6] but is generally safe when done by an
appropriately trained practitioner.[7] In contrast, treatments outside the bounds of safety and efficacy are termedquackery.
Contents
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1 Clinical practice

2 Institutions
2.1 Delivery

3 Branches

3.1 Basic sciences

3.2 Specialties

3.2.1 Surgical specialty

3.2.2 Internal specialty

3.2.3 Diagnostic specialties

3.2.4 Other major specialties

3.3 Interdisciplinary fields

4 Education

5 Medical ethics

6 Legal controls

7 Criticism of modern medicine

8 Honors and awards

9 History

9.1 Ancient world

9.2 Middle ages

9.3 Modern

10 Mythology
10.1 Patron saints

11 See also

12 Notes and references