Amber Douglas
Adrienne Hollifield
AP English IV
15 October 2014
The Effect of Modern Medicine on the Course of Human Evolution Yale professor, William Osler, describes medicine as, “arising out of primal sympathy of man with man; out of the desire to help those in sorrow, need, and sickness.” As we moved through the ages it was those who could pay for the care that doctors provided who survived. Skilled men healed kings until the day an ailment surpasses their abilities. In the early stages of medicine there was little effect on the vast majority of a population. It was the elite who lived off of the knowledge of doctors. Now we see a change in this dynamic. Modern medicine, introduced throughout the 19th century, has allowed those weakened by genetic conditions to survive into reproductive maturity and pass on these disorders to their children, affecting the course of evolution in areas that have access to modern medicine to favor those with funds to pay for treatment. This population able to pay now reaches into the millions, meaning that money and medicine have more say over who survives than genetics. When medicine was young it was more spiritual than factual. Religion and morality dictated
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As Osler stated in his series of lectures on the evolution of medicine, “Sanitation takes its place among the great modern revolutions-political, social, and intellectual.” With the understanding of the body came new knowledge on the role of bacteria within it. Without modern sanitation techniques, surgical operations failed as infection often killed those operated on. Surgeons didn’t wash their hands before operations, and equipment was rarely sanitized between operations. It took knowing that disease could come from bacteria and that bacteria could be passed from person to person to allow medical procedures to succeed and increase survival rates around the world
A remarkable breakthrough in medicine occurred in the late 1800s through the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's experiments showed that bacteria reproduce like other living things and travel from place to place. Using the results of his findings, he developed pasteurization, which is the process of heating liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. He also produced an anthrax vaccine as well as a way to weaken the rabies virus. After studying Pasteur's work, Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, which is the process of killing disease-causing germs. In 1865 before an operation, he cleansed a leg wound first with carbolic acid, and performed the surgery with sterilized (by heat) instruments. The wound healed, and the patient survived. Prior to surgery, the patient would've needed an amputation. However, by incorporating these antiseptic procedures in all of his surgeries, he decreased postoperative deaths. The use of antiseptics eventually helped reduce bacterial infection not only in surgery but also in childbirth and in the treatment of battle wounds. Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur's was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease. (1)
Medical science had not yet discovered the importance of antiseptics in preventing infection. Water was contaminated and soldiers sometimes ate unripened or spoiled food. There weren’t always clean rags available to clean wounds. Because of frequent shortages of water, surgeons often went days without washing their hands or instruments. So now germs were passing from patient to patient.
Society is programed to feel very healthy, but if when actual regarding the statistics it would be surprising to the contrary. The modern healthcare system is flawed in its basic theology. It focuses on treating the main symptoms and not treating the root cause and preventing illnesses. To return to a healthier society, the medical care system needs that focuses more on holistic or the all of the systems that make up someone 's body. The needs to be a shift in the way medical professionals treat their patients it would create a superior society.
Throughout history disease has run rampant taking many lives with every passing day. Finding a cure or even just a tool in the battle has been the main focus of scientist throughout time. This focus is what brought us the discovery of antibiotics. Over the years antibiotics have been misused by patients, over prescribed by physicians and have led to resistant strains of bacteria.
Instead of waiting for a condition to arise in the human body, people should practice preventive care to maintain ideal health and prevent illnesses from occurring in the first place. Preventive care includes such things as immunizations and vaccines, routine physicals, regular medical checkups and periodic colonoscopies.
Our arrogance leads us to believe that we know the most about health care but the ancient people, who lived in this country before us, knew more than we are willing to give them credit for. "Their medicine was combination of faith, blind luck and relying on the good earth -- relying on what was there" (Howard, 2000. P.2)
Joseph Lister was a surgeon who introduced new ideas of cleanliness into the surgical room in the late 1800’s. This new idea completely transformed surgery as we know it today. In today’s world, we take for granted that our surgeons will practice aseptic methods. However, this was not always the case. Until Lister introduced his new idea of sterile surgery, patients could undergo a surgical procedure without any complications, only to die later of a post-operative infection known as ward fever.
Ancient Romans, like the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians made a huge impact to medicine and health. The views of ancient Romans on medicine and health during this time were based on roman mythology as well as public health. The recognition of health, medicine, and religion of the ancient Roman citizens attempted to demonstrate equality of life throughout the empire.
To begin with, we have to identify what exactly means for the words “public health”. In general, we usually divided into two different areas. Public health which refers to the health of the environment surrounding in public, such as public transport and public infrastructure. Another explanation of public health means to prevent disease produced by different channels and methods, which also is the most common meaning and what I will mainly working for this paper about public health. First of all, when people mentioned about public health, United States and Japan would be the first two countries to compare with. Because the United States and Japan are basically two of the countries that everybody thinks of the most robust public health system.
This theory superseded other theories and it fundamentally changed the practice of medicine and it is still a guiding theory that inspires contemporary biomedicine today. (Science Museum, 2008) This theory helped us understand that germs could be spread from person to person and treatment was still years away. The article states that the large decline in mortality associated with the end of the 19th century is not even associated with the impact of germ theory instead with the improvement of sanitation and nutrition. (Harvard University Library, n.d.)
There is no way to know how long forms of alternative medicine have been used. Mainly because of the modern treatments scientists have discovered involving medicine. Willem De Blécourt and Cornelie Usborne, authors of Medical History, state that “different times produce different historians of medicine and differing definitions of their object of research.” What we now refer to as alternative medicine was once considered the most modern form of medicine. Author, Jacqueline Langwith, refers to alternative medicine as a “wide range of healing practices that are not considered part of conventional medicine.” Langwith also mentions in her book, Alternative Medicine, that it is widely used when doctors believe that the body will heal itself
As increasing rates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are becoming intertwined within traditional western practice, it has begun to present itself as a social conundrum. It is believed that the first practices of alternative medicine date back to the mid eighteenth century where as ancient Egyptians were using forms of traditional medicine in the early 5th century BCE. Because it has not been practiced as long as traditional western medicine, it has been framed as a social phenomenon. Its growth is curious in that it is beginning to surface in “countries were Western science and scientific method generally are accepted as the major foundations for healthcare, and “evidence-based” practice is the dominant paradigm” (Coulter & Willis 2004). Current US policy and government regulations, like the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, have allowed for CAM to become an integrative part of modernity. This paper examines how the defining of CAM has influenced past and present societal reforms and how the lack of a singular, all encompassing definition was once problematic in CAM’s ability to converge with traditional western medicine. However, due to the growing appeal of CAM’s treatment methods, economic and political factors have paved a path a successful integration into modern medicine.
After the industrial revolution in the 18th century in Europe and America, there was the rapid industrial and economic growth in the 19th century, which in turn caused various scientific discoveries and various invention therefore making more progress in identifying illnesses and developing modes of treatment and cure, this was where modern medicine started. After the industrial revolution there were more industries, which in turn created a lot of work-related diseases and poor hygiene, also as the cities began to grow larger, more communicable diseases began to increase, cases like typhoid and cholera became epidemics. As well, due to the changes occurring, more and more people became more aware and since there was democracy there became an increase in demand for health care. There were also the wars that occurred, causing injuries which needed to be treated. Modern medicine evolves to solve the problems of the society at a given time and various advances in this mode of health care has occurred over the years. It has been seen that modern medicine is a positive influence in the society today for various reasons, the goal of the modern medicine is to achieve good health of the citizens, and modern medicine is experimental which is capable of advanced diagnosis. Likewise, modern medicine has an effect on the social and economic state of the modern society. Modern medicine is understood as the science of treating, diagnosing or even preventing illnesses using improved sophisticated technology. This mode of treatment involves a variety of methods, using diet, exercise, treatment by drugs or even surgery.
There are numerous public health problems that can be addressed in my Southside of Chicago community. Among the several public health problems facing my Southside of Chicago community there are two that are more urgent. Health education or one might say lack thereof is a problem that needs to be addressed. My community is plagued with many of the residents suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and the killer virus known as HIV. In most cases these conditions can be prevented with healthier lifestyles and access to nutritious organic foods. In addition, environmental health is another urgent problem my community is facing. Access to clean, safe water and air is supposed to be a fundamental human right aimed at a healthy environment. Yet, my community consists a waste contaminated beach, numerous deteriorated building that are still occupied, and a countless number of restaurant and stores supplying our residents with services that are endangering their health.
Personal health is extremely important to everyone around the world. But it is especially important to citizens of the United States of America. Being one of the leading countries in Health technology and also in food and beverage leaves most people choosing between living a healthy lifestyle and indulging in the varieties of food we offer. Across the country, many people are living with pre-existing conditions, living in food deserts, living below the poverty line and a long list of other factors that either hinders them from eating healthy or force them to eat healthily. When trying to live a healthy lifestyle in this country not only does the promotion of prevention matter, but also the promotion of Career and job opportunities matter just as much. In the United States, Money equals Power and money also equal the opportunity to create and live a healthier lifestyle.