First of all the doctor should look at the patient’s face. If he looks his usual self this is a good sign - Hippocrates 430BC
They say that Hippocrates was the "Father of Medicine" and physicians today are to live by the Hippocratic Oath. Today most physicians probably couldn't even recite the first paragraph. So here is the Modern Version's first two. I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
The evolution of medicine fascinates us all. We have come a long way or have we?
Welcome to the Science Museum's History of Medicine website, the ultimate resource for educators and students. With thousands of interesting and intriguing objects you're bound to find something to excite, entertain and educate.
Context. Perspective. The media, writers, technologists, and every facet of modern medicine bandy about these words. Yet, context and perspective is exactly what the new History of Medicine section is all about. Through the pages of History of Medicine On-Line the history of medicine will be told such that it provides context and perspective on the current and future state of medicine.
The following medical inventions are listed alphabetically and lead to an article on the history of that invention - following this section is a listing of history of medicine websites that cover more than one specific medical invention.
Chris Trueman BA (Hons), MA set up www.historylearningsite.co.uk in 2000 as he felt there was no easily accessible and comprehensive website on World History on the web. The site has grown in popularity and is now viewed by hundreds of thousands of people each month from around the world.
Welcome to the Australian Medical Pioneers Index (AMPI), a database of over 3,000 pioneer doctors, from the 1700s through to 1875. The site covers Australian medical history, with a database of medical pioneers and educational background material.
Welcome to badmedicine.co.uk, the website associated with a new book by Professor David Wootton, published in June 2006 by Oxford University Press and in paperback from November 2007.
The history of medical science, considered as a part of the general history of civilization, should logically begin in Mesopotamia, where tradition and philological investigation placed the cradle of the human race. But, in a condensed article such as this, there are important reasons which dictate the choice of another starting point. Modern medical science rests upon a Greek foundation, and whatever other civilized peoples may have accomplished in this field lies outside our inquiry.
Today's health care professionals work hard to promote hygiene, prevent and detect disease, cure patients, and when that is impossible, reduce their suffering. Still, it is worthwhile to remember that the modern practice of medicine has not always been with us but was developed over thousands of years. We think that you might enjoy a quick summary of its development and hope that you find our short history of western medicine interesting.
The National Library of Medicine houses one of the world's largest history of medicine collections. We collect, preserve, and make available to researchers and the public, print and non-print materials that document the history of medicine, health, and disease in all time periods and cultures.
Context. Perspective. The media, writers, technologists, and every facet of modern medicine bandy about these words. Yet, context and perspective is exactly what the new History of Medicine section is all about. Through the pages of History of Medicine On-Line the history of medicine will be told such that it provides context and perspective on the current and future state of medicine.
Every infection is a race between the microbes and the host. The microbe, following the indelible rules of evolution, strives to survive and reproduce, while the host's immune system mounts a warlike defense designed to find, destroy, and eliminate it. An agent that kills its host quickly cannot be expected to survive long enough to reproduce. Thus excessive virulence is not selected for in evolution. Germs, which can reproduce and be passed from one host to another, are favored.
The Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) at the University of Pittsburgh offers a wide array of information services, educational opportunities, and resources in print and electronic format to faculty, medical staff, students, and researchers in the schools of the health sciences (Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Public Health) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
The Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza [IMSS] was founded in 1927 at the initiative of the University of Florence under the name of Istituto di Storia delle Scienze. According to its Statute, its function was that of collecting, cataloguing and restoring ancient instruments and devices of historical and scientific interest.
MedHist is a free catalogue of evaluated, high quality Internet resources and websites relating to the history of medicine and allied sciences, covering all aspects of the history of health and development of medical knowledge. MedHist is updated regularly and has an intended audience of students and staff working within the further and higher education sectors, although it will also appeal to anyone with a general interest in the subject area.
Historically, many Egyptologists focused primarily on the very visible aspects of ancient Egyptian society, such as the pyramids, much to the bain of those interested in more than just monumental architecture. From the beginning of the scholarly study of Egypt's past there have been few scholars who recognized the importance of the process of disease and health on a population.
This website explores the complex relationships between modern medicine and modern advertising, or "Madison Avenue," as the latter is colloquially termed. The Medicine and Madison Avenue Project presents images and database information for approximately 600 health-related advertisements printed in newspapers and magazines.
The Medical Museums Association was created to promote longterm contacts among individuals, institutions, and organizations involved in collecting historical artifacts and objects of interest to the health sciences.
The National Library of Medicine houses one of the world's largest history of medicine collections. We collect, preserve, and make available to researchers and the public, print and non-print materials that document the history of medicine, health, and disease in all time periods and cultures.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.
Social History of Medicine is concerned with all aspects of health, illness, and medical treatment in the past. It is committed to publishing work on the social history of medicine from a variety of disciplines.
The History of Medicine through Time. Use the sections below to study the development of surgery, anatomical knowledge and the study of disease.
Each section provides backgrounds to the key personalities, changes, developments and events. There are lots of useful links in each section along with research and revision exercises for you to try.
Welcome to the Asclepion, a World Wide Web page devoted to the study of ancient medicine. This page was designed to be an internet source that presents the study of ancient medicine in a manner that is both accessible and useful to the general public and to students in the history of medicine courses at Indiana University Bloomington.
The list of medical theories and practices that were later proven to be false always includes the draining of the patient's blood as a method of healing. This past practice has now been easily proven to be very detrimental to the patient and caused a huge but unknown number of deaths. These patients had their blood drawn until they literally bled to death. The exact cause of US President George Washington's death in December 1799 has been hotly debated.
The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL continues to build on its proud tradition of excellence in furthering the academic study of the history of medicine and an awareness of its importance. History counts, as anyone reading about current events recognises. All people suffer illness and eventually die. But what is done about these aspects of the human condition tells us much about ourselves and others.
There are hundreds of university library catalogues available over the internet, some are available for subject searching. Two catalogues of extraordinary value are the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Library of Congress (LC). The NLM catalogue may also be accessed from the NLM home page at http://www.nlm.nih.gov. The NLM is the largest medical library in the world and it's History of Medicine Division has a subordinate home page providing further resources.
Through its collections and services, the Wellcome Library provides insight and information to anyone seeking to understand medicine and its role in society, past and present. More than 30 000 readers visited us last year, including historians, academics, students, health professionals and consumers, journalists, artists and members of the general public.
All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, adverse astral influence, or the will of the gods. These ideas still retain some power, with faith healing and shrines still used in some places, although the rise of scientific medicine over the past millennium has altered or replaced many of the old beliefs.
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