Medicine Portal

Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining human health or restoring it through the treatment of disease and injury. It is both an area of knowledge – a science of body systems, their diseases and treatment – and the applied practice of that knowledge. Image File history File links Portal. ... Health science is the discipline of applied science which deals with human and animal health. ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu  (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Homo (genus). ... A disease is any condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. ... Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Science For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. ... In biology, an organ is a group of tissues which perform some function. ...

Overview

The practice of medical care is shared between the medical profession (physicians or doctors) and other groups of professionals such as nurses and pharmacists, sometimes known as allied health professionals. Historically, only those conferred with a medical doctorate have been considered to practice medicine. Clinicians can be physicians, nurses or medical assistants. The medical profession is the social and occupational structure of the group of people formally trained and authorized to apply medical knowledge. Many countries and legal jurisdictions have legal limitations on who may practice medicine or the allied medical fields. Physician examining a child A physician is a person who practices medicine. ... A nurse is a health care professional who is engaged in the practice of nursing. ... Pharmacists are health professionals who practice the art and science of pharmacy. ... The Allied health professions refers to various fields of professional health care practice distinct from the medical profession (physicians or doctors), as well as the organized socio-occupational structures of practitioners. ... Look up country in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Law (from the Old Norse lagu) in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, intended to provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments of/for those who do...

Medicine is typically seen as composed of various specialized sub-branches, such as pediatrics, gynecology, neurology, dealing with particular body systems, diseases, or areas of health. Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics or pædiatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. ... The shamefulness associated with the examination of female genitalia has long inhibited the science of gynaecology. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system and its disorders. ...

Systems of medical and healthcare practices have existed among human societies since at least the dawn of recorded history. These systems have developed in various ways in different cultures and regions. Medicine as understood in the modern period has historically been considered to be the mainstream tradition which developed in the Western world since the early modern age. Many other traditions of medicine and healthcare are still widely practiced throughout the world, most of which are still considered to be separate and distinct from Western medicine, also called biomedicine or the Hippocratic tradition. The most highly developed systems of medicine outside the Western system are traditional Chinese medicine and the Ayurvedic traditions of India and Sri Lanka. Various non-mainstream traditions of healthcare have also developed in the Western world distinct from mainstream medicine. Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu  (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Homo (genus). ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... TCM shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ... Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद Sanskrit: ayu—life; veda—knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a more than 2,000 year old comprehensive system of medicine based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. ...

"Medicine" is also often used amongst medical professionals as shorthand for internal medicine. Veterinary medicine is the practice of healthcare in animal species other than human beings. Internal medicine is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of internal diseases, that is, those that affect internal organs or the body as a whole. ... Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ...

History of medicine

Main article: History of medicine

Medicine as it is practiced now is rooted in various traditions, but developed mainly in the late 18th and early 19th century in Germany (Rudolf Virchow) and France (Jean-Martin Charcot, Claude Bernard and others). The new, "scientific" medicine replaced earlier Western traditions of medicine, mostly based on the "four humours" and other pre-modern theories. The focal points of development of clinical medicine shifted to the United Kingdom and the USA by the early 1900s (Sir William Osler, Harvey Cushing). All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for, and responses to, birth, death, and disease. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr. R.L.K. Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow (born October 13, 1821, in Schivelbein, Pomerania; died September 5, 1902, in Berlin) was a German doctor, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician. ... Categories: People stubs | French physicians | 1825 births | 1893 deaths | History of medicine ... Claude Bernard Claude Bernard (July 12, 1813 - February 10, 1878) was a French physiologist. ... In traditional medicine practiced before the advent of modern technology, the four humours (or four humors) were four fluids that were thought to permeate the body and influence its health. ... // Events and Trends Technology Lawrence Hargrave makes the first stable wing design for a heavier-than-air aircraft Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first documented flight in a powered heavier-than-air aircraft Mass production of automobile Wide popularity of home phonograph Panama Canal is built by the United... The Four Doctors by John Singer Sargent, 1905. ... Harvey Williams Cushing (April 8, 1869 - October 7, 1939) an outstanding American neurosurgeon and a pioneer of brain surgery. ...

Evidence-based medicine is the recent movement to link the practice and the science of medicine more closely through the use of the scientific method and modern information science. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a medical movement based upon the application of the scientific method to medical practice, recognizing that many long-established medical traditions are not yet subjected to adequate scientific scrutiny. ... Scientific method as envisaged by one of its early exponents, Sir Isaac Newton, is fundamental to the investigation and acquisition of new knowledge based upon physical evidence. ... Information science or informatics is the science of information. ...

Genomics and knowledge of human genetics is already having a large influence on medicine, as the causative genes of most monogenic genetic disorders have now identified, and the development of techniques in molecular biology and genetics are influencing medical practice and decision-making. Genomics is the study of an organisms genome and the use of the genes. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... In genetics, monogenic genetic disorders are hereditary diseases that result from abnormalities in one (mono) gene. ... A genetic disorder, or genetic disease is a disease caused by abnormal expression of one or more genes in a person causing a clinical phenotype. ... Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. ...

Practice of medicine

The practice of medicine combines both science and art. Science and technology are the evidence base for many clinical problems for the general population at large. The art of medicine is the application of this medical knowledge in combination with intuition and clinical judgment to determine the proper diagnoses and treatment plan for this unique patient and to treat the patient accordingly. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Science For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... Winged Victory of Samothrace exihibited in the Louvre. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Central to medicine is the patient-doctor relationship established when a person with a health concern or problem seeks the help of a physician (i.e. the medical encounter). Other health professionals similarly establish a relationship with a patient and may perform interventions from their perspective, e.g. nurses, radiographers and therapists. A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment [1]. A patient is often ill or injured and is being treated by, or in need of treatment by, a physician or other medical professional. ...

As part of the medical encounter, the doctor needs to:

• develop a relationship with the patient
• gather data (medical history and physical examination combined with laboratory or imaging studies)
• analyze and synthesize that data (assessment and/or differential diagnosis), and then
• develop a treatment plan (further testing, therapy, watchful observation, referral and follow-up)
• treat the patient accordingly
• assess the progress of treatment and alter the plan as necessary.

The medical encounter is documented in a medical record, which is a legal document in many jurisdictions. One method that is used is called the problem-oriented medical record (POMR), which includes a problem list of diagnoses and a "SOAP" method of documentation for each visit: A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment [1]. A patient is often ill or injured and is being treated by, or in need of treatment by, a physician or other medical professional. ... The medical history of a patient (sometimes called anamnesis [1][2] ) is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information (in this case, it is sometimes called heteroanamnesis). ... In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ... Differential diagnosis is the process by which a physician utilitizes the scientific method and the skills acquired in medical school, internship, and residency to take a history, examine the patient, and do the appropriate testing to determine the nature and extent of a disease process in a patient. ... A medical record is a compilation of medical data relating to a patient. ...

• S - Subjective, the medical history of the problem from the point-of-view of the patient.
• O - Objective, the physical examination and any laboratory or imaging studies.
• A - Assessment, is the medical decision-making process including the differential diagnoses and most probable diagnoses.
• P - Plan, the way resolve the problem and monitor progress

Healthcare delivery systems

Medicine is practiced within the medical system, which is a legal, credentialing and financing framework, established by a particular culture or government. The characteristics of a healthcare system have significant effect on the nature and format of how medical care is delivered. A healthcare system is the organization by which health care is provided. ...

Financing framework has the greatest influence, as it defines who pays the cost and how medical practitioners are compensated. Aside from tribal cultures, the most significant divide in developed countries is that between universal health care and the market based health care (such as practiced in the U.S.). Universal healthcare might allow or ban a parallel private market. The latter case is described as single-payor system. Tribal refers to a culture or society based on tribes or clans. ... Publicly funded medicine is a level of medical service that is paid wholly or in majority part by public funds (taxes or quasi-taxes). ...

Transparency of information is another critical factor defining a delivery system. Access to information on conditions, treatments, quality and pricing greatly affects the choice by patients / consumers and therefore the incentives of medical professionals. While US healthcare system has come under fire for lack of openness, new medical blog and medical wiki services hold promise to encourage greater openness.

Patient-doctor relationship

The doctor-patient relationship and interaction is a central process in the practice of medicine. There are many perspectives from which to understand and describe it. A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment [1]. A patient is often ill or injured and is being treated by, or in need of treatment by, a physician or other medical professional. ...

An idealized physician's perspective, such as is taught in medical school, sees the core aspects of the process as the physician learning from the patient his symptoms, concerns and values; in response the physician examines the patient, interprets the symptoms, and formulates a diagnosis to explain the symptoms and their cause to the patient and to propose a treatment. In more detail, the patient presents a set of complaints or concerns about his health to the doctor, who then obtains further information about the patient's symptoms, previous state of health, living conditions, and so forth, and then formulates a diagnosis and enlists the patient's agreement to a treatment plan. Importantly, during this process the doctor educates the patient about the causes, progression, outcomes, and possible treatments of his ailments, as well as often providing advice for maintaining health. This teaching relationship is the basis of calling the physician doctor, which originally meant "teacher" in Latin. The patient-doctor relationship is additionally complicated by the patient's suffering (patient derives from the Latin patiens, "suffering") and limited ability to relieve it on his own. The doctor's expertise comes from his knowledge about, or experience with, other people who have suffered similar symptoms, and his presumed ability to relieve it with medicines or other therapies about which the patient may initially have little knowledge. An image of a 1901 examination in the faculty of medicine. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment [1]. A patient is often ill or injured and is being treated by, or in need of treatment by, a physician or other medical professional. ...

The doctor-patient relationship can be analyzed from the perspective of ethical concerns, in terms of how well the goals of non-maleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and justice are achieved. Many other values and ethical issues can be added to these. In different societies, periods, and cultures, different values may be assigned different priorities. For example, in the last 30 years medical care in the Western World has increasingly emphasized patient autonomy in decision making. Medical ethics is the discipline of evaluating the merits, risks, and social concerns of activities in the field of medicine. ...

The relationship and process can also be analyzed in terms of social power relationships (e.g., by Michel Foucault), or economic transactions. Physicians have been accorded gradually higher status and respect over the last century, and they have been entrusted with control of access to prescription medicines as a public health measure. This represents a concentration of power and carries both advantages and disadvantages to particular kinds of patients with particular kinds of conditions. A further twist has occurred in the last 25 years as costs of medical care have risen, and a third party (an insurance company or government agency) now often insists upon a share of decision-making power for a variety of reasons, reducing freedom of choice of both doctors and patients in many ways. Michel Foucault Michel Foucault (October 15, 1926 – June 26, 1984) was a French philosopher who held a chair at the Collège de France, which he gave the title The History of Systems of Thought. ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of potential financial loss. ...

The quality of the patient-doctor relationship is important to both parties. The better the relationship in terms of mutual respect, knowledge, trust, shared values and perspectives about disease and life, and time available, the better will be the amount and quality of information about the patient's disease transferred in both directions, enhancing accuracy of diagnosis and increasing the patient's knowledge about the disease. Where such a relationship is poor the doctor's ability to make a full assessment is compromised and the patient is more likely to distrust the diagnosis and proposed treatment. In these circumstances and also in cases where there is genuine divergence of medical opinions, a second opinion from another doctor may be sought. A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment [1]. A patient is often ill or injured and is being treated by, or in need of treatment by, a physician or other medical professional. ...

In some settings, e.g. the hospital ward, the patient-doctor relationship is much more complex, and many other people are involved when somebody is ill: relatives, neighbors, rescue specialists, nurses, technical personnel, social workers and others.

Clinical skills

Main articles: Medical history, Physical examination. The medical history of a patient (sometimes called anamnesis [1][2] ) is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information (in this case, it is sometimes called heteroanamnesis). ... In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ...

A complete medical evaluation includes a medical history, a physical examination, appropriate laboratory or imaging studies, analysis of data and medical decision making to obtain diagnoses, and treatment plan. The medical history of a patient (sometimes called anamnesis [1][2] ) is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information (in this case, it is sometimes called heteroanamnesis). ... In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ...

The components of the medical history are:

• Chief complaint (CC) - the reason for the current medical visit.
• History of present illness (HPI) - the chronological order of events of symptoms. A mnemonic OPQRST is sometimes helpful in obtaining the history:
  • Onset-when the symptoms began
  • Provocative-palliative factors - what makes a symptom worse or better.
  • Quality - description of the symptom
  • Region - which part of the body is affected
  • Severity - what is the intensity of the symptom; using a scale of 0-10 (10 worst)
  • Timing - what is the course of the symptom
• Current activity - occupation, hobbies, what the patient actually does.
• Medications - what drugs including OTCs, and home remedies, as well as herbal remedies such as St. John's Wort. Allergies are recorded.
• Past medical history (PMH/PMHx) - other medical diagnoses, past hospitalizations and operations, injuries, past infectious diseases and/or vaccinations, history of known allergies.
• Review of systems (ROS) - an outline of additional symptoms to ask which may be missed on HPI, generally following the body's main organ systems (heart, lungs, digestive tract, urinary tract, etc).
• Social history (SH) - birthplace, residences, marital history, social and economic status, habits (including diet, medications, tobacco, alcohol).
• Family history (FH) - listing of diseases in the family that may impact the patient. A family tree is sometimes used.

The physical examination is the examination of the patient looking for signs of disease. The doctor uses his senses of sight, hearing, touch, and sometimes smell (taste has been made redundant by the availability of modern lab tests). Four chief methods are used: inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation; smelling may be useful (e.g. infection, uremia, diabetic ketoacidosis). The clinical examination involves study of: A mnemonic (pronounced in American English, in British English) is a memory aid. ... A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... The abbreviation OTC may refer to: - Over-the-counter substance - Over-the-counter (finance) - the medical condition Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency - an Officers Training Corps in the UK - The Oakwood Theater Company - The Overseas Telecommunications Commission - The band The Olivia Tremor Control - The channel on the IRC starchat network #offtopic This... The term Herbalism refers to folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. ... Binomial name Hypericum perforatum Linnaeus, St Johns wort used alone refers to the species Hypericum perforatum, also known as Klamath weed or Goat weed, but is used with qualifiers to refer to any species of the genus Hypericum. ... An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is an immune system malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ... A typical modern surgical operation For other uses, see Surgery (disambiguation). ... In medicine, infectious disease or communicable disease is disease caused by a biological agent such as by a virus, bacterium or parasite. ... Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering live, albeit weakened, microbes to patients, with the intent of conferring immunity against a targeted form of a related disease agent. ... For the Physics term GUT, please refer to Grand unification theory The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and... The urinary system is a system of organs, tubes, muscles, and nerves that work together to create, store, and carry, urine. ... In nutrition, the diet is the sum of the food consumed by an organism. ... A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005 Tobacco (, L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, or to the dried and cured leaves of such plants. ... For other uses, see Alcohol (disambiguation). ... In medicine, a family history consists of information about disorders that a patients direct blood relatives have suffered from. ... In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ... Uremia is a toxic condition resulting from renal failure, when kidney function is compromised and urea, a waste product normally excreted in the urine, is retained in the blood. ... Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is one consequence of severe, out-of-control diabetes mellitus (chronic high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia). ...

• Vital signs include height, weight, body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate, hemoglobin oxygen saturation
• General appearance of the patient
• Skin
• Head, eye, ear, nose, and throat (HEENT)
• Cardiovascular - heart and blood vessels
• Respiratory - lungs
• Abdomen and rectosigmoid
• Genitalia
• Spine and extremities - musculoskeletal
• Neurological and psychiatric

Laboratory and imaging studies results may be obtained, if necessary. In medicine, a persons pulse is the throbbing of their arteries as an effect of the heart beat. ... Diagram of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... A human head In anatomy, the head of an animal is the anterior part (from anatomical position) that comprises the mouth, the brain and various sensory organs (e. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An ear is an organ used by an animal to detect sound waves. ... Human nose in profile The Nose is a story by Gogol and an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Anatomy In anatomy, the throat is the part of the neck anterior to the vertebral column. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The lung is an organ belonging to the respiratory system and interfacing to the circulatory system of air-breathing vertebrates. ... A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on biological specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient. ... Medical imaging is the process by which physicians evaluate an area of the subjects body that is not normally visible. ...

The medical decision-making (MDM) process involves analysis and synthesis of all the above data to come up with a list of possible diagnoses (the differential diagnoses), along with an idea of what needs to be done to obtain a definitive diagnosis that would explain the patient's problem. Differential diagnosis is the process by which a physician utilitizes the scientific method and the skills acquired in medical school, internship, and residency to take a history, examine the patient, and do the appropriate testing to determine the nature and extent of a disease process in a patient. ...

The treatment plan may include ordering additional laboratory tests and studies, starting therapy, referral to a specialist, or watchful observation. Follow-up may be advised.

This process is used by primary care providers as well as specialists. It may take only a few minutes if the problem is simple and straightforward. On the other hand, it may take weeks in a patient who has been hospitalized with multi-system problems, with involvement by several specialists.

On subsequent visits, the process may be repeated in an abbreviated manner to obtain any new history, symptoms, physical findings, and lab or imaging results or specialist consultations.

Settings where medical care is delivered

See also clinic, hospital, and hospice A clinic or outpatient clinic is a small medical facility that provides health care for ambulatory patients - as opposed to inpatients treated in a hospital. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... Palliative care is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. ...

Medicine is a diverse field and the provision of medical care is therefore provided in a variety of locations.

Primary care medical services are provided by physicians or other health professionals who has first contact with a patient seeking medical treatment or care. These occur in physician's office, clinics, nursing homes, schools, home visits and other places close to patients. About 90% of medical visits can be treated by the primary care provider. These include treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, preventive care and health education for all ages and both sex. Primary care may be provided in community health centres. ... A clinic or outpatient clinic is a small medical facility that provides health care for ambulatory patients - as opposed to inpatients treated in a hospital. ... A nursing home or skilled nursing facility (SNF) is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant Activity of Daily Living (ADL) deficiencies. ... American high school students in a school A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... Home is a place where a person lives, perhaps spends much of the time, or where a person is comfortable to be. ...

Secondary care medical services are provided by medical specialists in their offices or clinics or at local community hospitals for a patient referred by a primary care provider who first diagnosed or treated the patient. Referrals are made for those patients who required the expertise or procedures performed by specialists. These include both ambulatory care and inpatient services, emergency rooms, intensive care medicine, surgery services, physical therapy, labor and delivery, endoscopy units, diagnostic laboratory and medical imaging services, hospice centers, etc. Some primary care providers may also take care of hospitalized patients and deliver babies in a secondary care setting. Services provided by medical specialists who generally do not have first contact with patients (eg, cardiologist, urologists, dermatologists). ... A medical specialist is someone who specializes in a particular field of medicine. ... Ambulatory care is any medical care delivered on an outpatient basis. ... A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ... The emergency room is the American English term for a room, or group of rooms, within a hospital that is designed for the treatment of urgent and medical emergencies. ... Intensive Care Medicine or critical care medicine is concerned with providing greater than ordinary medical care and observation to people in a critical or unstable condition. ... A typical modern surgical operation For other uses, see Surgery (disambiguation). ... Physical therapy (also known as physiotherapy) is an allied health profession concerned with the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and disability through physical means. ... Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a human pregnancy with the emergence of a newborn infant from its mothers uterus. ... Endoscopic images of a duodenal ulcer Endoscopy means looking inside and refers to looking inside the human body for medical reasons. ... Biochemistry laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... Medical imaging is the process by which physicians evaluate an area of the subjects body that is not normally visible. ... Palliative care is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. ...

Tertiary care medical services are provided by specialist hospitals or regional centers equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities not generally available at local hospitals. These include trauma centers, burn treatment centers, advanced neonatology unit services, organ transplants, high-risk pregnancy, radiation oncology, etc. In medicine, tertiary healthcare is specialized consultative care, usually on referral from primary or secondary medical care personnel, by specialists working in a center that has personnel and facilities for special investigation and treatment. ... for the Nintendo DS video game, see Trauma Center: Under the Knife A trauma center is a hospital equipped to perform as a casualty receiving station for the emergency medical services by providing the best possible medical care for traumatic injuries 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. ... It has been suggested that Cold burn be merged into this article or section. ... Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics defined as the care of the ill or premature newborn infant. ... An organ transplant is the transplantation of a whole or partial organ from one body to another (or from a donor site on the patients own body), for the purpose of replacing the recipients damaged or failing organ with a working one from the donor site. ... Clinac 2100 C accelerator Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionising radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ... Oncology is the medical subspecialty dealing with the study and treatment of cancer. ...

Modern medical care also depends on information - still delivered in many health care settings on paper records, but increasingly nowadays by electronic means.

Branches of medicine

Working together as an interdisciplinary team, many highly trained health professionals besides medical practitioners are involved in the delivery of modern health care. Some examples include: nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and bioengineers. Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... A health profession is a profession in which a person exercises skill or judgment or provides a service related to: (a) the preservation or improvement of the health of individuals, or (b) the treatment or care of individuals who are injured, sick, disabled, or infirm. ... A nurse is a health care professional who is engaged in the practice of nursing. ... Bowl of Hygeia Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον = drug) is the profession charged with ensuring the safe use of medication. ... Physical therapy can help restore lost functionality in many people. ... Speech therapy is the corrective or rehabilitative treatment of physical and/or cognitive deficits/disorders resulting in difficulty with verbal communication. ... Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. ... Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition. ... Biological engineering (also biosystems engineering and bioengineering) is a broad-based engineering discipline that deals with bio-molecular and molecular processes, product design, sustainability and analysis of biological systems. ...

The scope and sciences underpinning human medicine overlap many other fields. Dentistry and psychology, while separate disciplines from medicine, are sometimes also considered medical fields. Physician assistants, nurse practitioners and midwives treat patients and prescribe medication in many legal jurisdictions. Veterinary medicine applies similar techniques to the care of animals. Radiographs (X-rays) can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth and their supporting bones and soft tissues) to human beings. ... Clinical psychology is the application of psychology within a clinical (health) setting. ... In the United States, physician assistants (PAs) are non-physicians licensed to practice medicine with a physicians supervision. ... Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNPs) are registered nurses who have advanced formal education and are certified as specialists in the care of patients. ... Midwifery is a blanket term used to describe a number of different types of health practitioners, other than doctors, who provide prenatal care to expecting mothers, attend the birth of the infant and provide postnatal care to the mother and infant. ... Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. ...

Medical doctors have many specializations and subspecializations which are listed below. There are variations from country to country regarding which specialities certain subspecialities are in.

Basic sciences

• Anatomy is the study of the physical structure of organisms. In contrast to macroscopic or gross anatomy, cytology and histology are concerned with microscopic structures.
• Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry taking place in living organisms, especially the structure and function of their chemical components.
• Biostatistics is the application of statistics to biological fields in the broadest sense. A knowledge of biostatistics is essential in the planning, evaluation, and interpretation of medical research. It is also fundamental to epidemiology and evidence-based medicine.
• Cytology is the microscopic study of individual cells.
• Embryology is the study of the early development of organisms.
• Epidemiology is the study of the demographics of disease processes, and includes, but is not limited to, the study of epidemics.
• Genetics is the study of genes, and their role in biological inheritance.
• Histology is the study of the structures of biological tissues by light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry.
• Immunology is the study of the immune system, which includes the innate and adaptive immune system in human, for example.
• Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, including protozoa, bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
• Neuroscience is a comprehensive term for those disciplines of science that are related to the study of the nervous system. A main focus of neuroscience is the biology and physiology of the human brain.
• Nutrition is the study of the relationship of food and drink to health and disease, especially in determining an optimal diet. Medical nutrition therapy is done by dietitians and is prescribed for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, weight and eating disorders, allergies, malnutrition and neoplastic diseases.
• Pathology is the study of disease - the causes, course, progression and resolution thereof.
• Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their actions.
• Physiology is the study of the normal functioning of the body and the underlying regulatory mechanisms.
• Toxicology is the study of hazardous effects of drugs and poisons.

Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ... In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument) is a complex adaptive system of organs that influence each other in such a way that they function as a more or less stable whole and have properties of life. ... Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of life, a bridge between biology and chemistry that studies how complex chemical reactions give rise to life. ... Biostatistics or biometry is the application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology. ... Epidemiology is the scientific study of factors affecting the health and illness of individuals and populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine. ... Cytology (also known as Cell biology) is the scientific study of cells. ... Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, and are sometimes called the building blocks of life. ... Embryology is the subdivision of developmental biology that studies embryos and their development. ... Epidemiology is the scientific study of factors affecting the health and illness of individuals and populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine. ... An epidemic is generally a widespread disease that affects many individuals in a population. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... Biological inheritance is the process by which an offspring cell or organism acquires or becomes predisposed to characteristics of its parent cell or organism. ... A thin section of lung tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin. ... Biological tissue is a substance made up of cells that perform a similar function. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into microscope. ... Immunohistochemistry is the process of detection of antigens in tissue using antibodies. ... Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. ... The immune system is the system of specialized cells and organs that protect an organism from outside biological influences. ... Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. ... A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... Protozoa (in Greek proto = first and zoa = life) are single-celled eukaryotes (organisms with nuclei) that show some characteristics usually associated with animals, most notably mobility and heterotrophy. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Deuteromycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungus growing on a tree in Borneo A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ... The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) A bacteriophage virus A virus is a submicroscopic parasite that infects cells in biological organisms. ... Neuroscience is a field of study that deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology of the nervous system, divided into the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), and the peripheral nervous system, consisting of the myriad nerve pathways running throughout the body. ... The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. ... The updated USDA food pyramid, published in 2005, is a general nutrition guide for recommended food consumption. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart and/or blood vessels (arteries and veins). ... Disorder may refer to : A disease, in medicine Randomness (lack of order), in information theory This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Malnutrition is a general term for the medical condition in a person caused by an unbalanced diet—either too little or too much food, or a diet missing one or more important nutrients. ... Neoplasia (literally: new growth) is abnormal, disorganized growth in a tissue or organ, usually forming a distinct mass. ... Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how chemical substances interact with living systems. ... A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... Toxicology (from the Greek words toxicon and logos) is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

Diagnostic specialties

• Clinical laboratory sciences are the clinical diagnostic services which apply laboratory techniques to diagnosis and management of patients. In the United States these services are supervised by a pathologist. The personnel that work in these medical laboratory departments are technically trained staff, each of whom usually hold a medical technology degree, who actually perform the tests, assays, and procedures needed for providing the specific services.
  • Transfusion medicine is concerned with the transfusion of blood and blood component, including the maintenance of a "blood bank".
  • Cellular pathology is concerned with diagnosis using samples from patients taken as tissues and cells using histology and cytology.
  • Clinical chemistry is concerned with diagnosis by making biochemical analysis of blood, body fluids and tissues.
  • Hematology is concerned with diagnosis by looking at changes in the cellular composition of the blood and bone marrow as well as the coagulation system in the blood.
  • Clinical microbiology is concerned with the in vitro diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
  • Clinical immunology is concerned with disorders of the immune system and related body defenses. It also deals with diagnosis of allergy.
• Radiology is concerned with imaging of the human body, e.g. by x-rays, x-ray computed tomography, ultrasonography, and nuclear magnetic resonance tomography.
  • Interventional radiology is concerned with using imaging of the human body, usually from CT, ultrasound, or fluoroscopy, to do biopsies, place certain tubes, and perform intravascular procedures.
  • Nuclear Medicine uses radioactive substances for in vivo and in vitro diagnosis using either imaging of the location of radioactive substances placed into a patient, or using in vitro diagnostic tests utilizing radioactive substances.

A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on biological specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient. ... Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. ... A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on biological specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient. ... Category: Possible copyright violations ... A medical test is any kind of diagnostic procedure performed for health reasons. ... An assay is a procedure where the concentration of a component part of a mixture is determined. ... Transfusion medicine (or transfusiology) is the branch of medicine that is concerned with the transfusion of blood and blood components. ... A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusions. ... Cellular pathology is the branch of general pathology studying the cellular basis of disease. ... A thin section of lung tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin. ... Cytology (also known as Cell biology) is the scientific study of cells. ... Chemical pathology (also known as clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry) is the area of pathology that is generally concerned with analysis of bodily fluids. ... Hematology is the branch of medicine that is concerned with blood and its disorders. ... Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are present in the blood and help carry oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). ... Grays Anatomy illustration of cells in bone marrow. ... Coagulation is the thickening or congealing of any liquid into solid clots. ... // General Microbiology This chapter deals with the basic mechanisms of microbiology and epidemiology of infectious diseases. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: In vitro In vitro (Latin: within glass) means within a test tube, or, more generally, outside a living organism or cell. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) A bacteriophage virus A virus is a submicroscopic parasite that infects cells in biological organisms. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Deuteromycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungus growing on a tree in Borneo A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ... A parasite is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on the living tissue of a host organism and which causes harm to the host without immediately killing it. ... Clinical immunology is the study of diseases caused by the immune system and diseases of the immune system from a medical perspective. ... The immune system is the system of specialized cells and organs that protect an organism from outside biological influences. ... An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is an immune system malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ... It has been suggested that medical imaging be merged into this article or section. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... CT apparatus in a hospital Computed tomography (CT), originally known as computed axial tomography (CAT) and body section roentgenography, is a medical imaging method employing tomography where digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the internals of an object from a large series of two... Medical ultrasonography is an ultrasound-based imaging diagnostic technique used to visualize internal organs, their size, structure and their pathological lesions. ... Pacific Northwest National Laboratorys high magnetic field (800 MHz, 18. ... Tomography is imaging by sections or sectioning. ... Interventional Radiology (IR) is a subspecialty of Medical imaging (Radiology) in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. ... A modern fluoroscope. ... A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ... Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine and medical imaging that uses unsealed radioactive substances in diagnosis and therapy. ... Radioactive decay is the set of various processes by which unstable atomic nuclei (nuclides) emit subatomic particles (radiation). ... In vivo (Latin for (with)in the living). ... Wiktionary has a definition of: In vitro In vitro (Latin: within glass) means within a test tube, or, more generally, outside a living organism or cell. ... Radioactivity may mean: Look up radioactivity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Clinical disciplines

• Anesthesiology (AE), Anaesthesia (BE), is the clinical discipline concerned with providing anesthesia. Pain medicine is often practiced by specialised anesthesiologists.
• Dermatology is concerned with the skin and its diseases. (Subspeciality of General Medicine in the UK.)
• Emergency medicine is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of acute or life-threatening conditions, including trauma, surgical, medical, pediatric, and psychiatric emergencies.
• General practice, Family practice, family medicine or primary care is, in many countries, the first port-of-call for patients with non-emergency medical problems. Family doctors are usually able to treat over 90% of all complaints without referring to specialists.
• Hospital medicine is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Doctors whose primary professional focus is hospital medicine are called hospitalists.
• Internal medicine is concerned with systemic diseases of adults, i.e. those diseases that affect the body as a whole , (restrictive ,current meaning) or with all adult non-operative somatic medicine (traditional , inclusive meaning) , thus excluding pediatrics , surgery , gynaecology & obstetrics and psychiatry. There are several subdisciplines of internal medicine:
  • Cardiology is concerned with the heart and cardiovascular system and their diseases.
  • Critical care medicine is concerned with the therapy of patients with serious and life-threatening disease or injury. Intensive care medicine employs invasive diagnostic techniques and (temporary) replacement of organ functions by technical means. Also known as Intensive care medicine. This field is often associated with Pulmonology.
  • Endocrinology is concerned with the endocrine system, i.e. endocrine glands and hormones, usually Diabetes or Thyroid diseases.
  • Gastroenterology is concerned with the alimentary tract.
  • Geriatrics is concerned with medical care of the elderly.
  • Hematology (or haematology) is concerned with the blood and its diseases. Usually part of Oncology in the US, but separate in the UK.
  • Hepatology is concerned with the liver and biliary tract, and is usually a part of Gastroenterology
  • Infectious diseases is concerned with the study, diagnosis and treatment of diseases caused by biological agents.
  • Nephrology is concerned with diseases of the kidneys.
  • Oncology is devoted to the study, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other malignant diseases, and is often grouped with Hematology.
  • Pulmonology (or chest medicine, respiratory medicine or lung medicine) is concerned with diseases of the lungs and the respiratory system.
  • Rheumatology is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases of the joints and other organ systems, such as arthritis.
• Neurology is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system diseases. (Subspeciality of General Medicine in the UK)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (often abbreviated as Ob/Gyn) are concerned respectively with childbirth and the female reproductive and associated organs. Reproductive medicine and fertility medicine are generally practiced by gynecological specialists.
• Palliative care is a relatively modern branch of clinical medicine that deals with pain and symptom relief and emotional support in patients with terminal diseases (cancer, heart failure).
• Pediatrics (or paediatrics) is devoted to the care of infants, children, and adolescents. Like internal medicine, there are many pediatric subspecialities for specific age ranges, organ systems, disease classes and sites of care delivery. Most subspecialities of adult medicine have a pediatric equivalent such as pediatric cardiology, pediatric endocrinology, pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric hematology, and pediatric oncology, pediatric ophthalmology, and neonatology.
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation (or physiatry) is concerned with functional improvement after injury, illness, or congenital disorders.
• Preventive medicine is the branch of medicine concerned with preventing disease.
  • Community health or public health is an aspect of health services concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis.
  • Occupational medicine's principal role is the provision of health advice to organisations and individuals to ensure that the highest standards of health and safety at work can be achieved and maintained.
• Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental disorders. Related non-medical fields are psychotherapy and clinical psychology. There are several subdisciplines of Psychiatry:
  • Child & adolescent psychiatry focuses on the care of children and adolescents with mental/emotional/learning problems (i.e., ADHD, Autism, family conflicts).
  • Geriatric psychiatry focuses on the care of elderly people with mental illnesses (i.e., dementias, post stroke cognitive changes, depression).
  • Addiction psychiatry focuses on substance abuse and its treatment.
  • Forensic psychiatry focuses on the interface of psychiatry and the Law.
• Radiation therapy is concerned with the therapeutic use of ionizing radiation and high energy elementary particle beams in patient treatment.
• Surgical specialties - there are many medical disciplines that employ operative treatment. Some of these are highly specialized and are often not considered subdisciplines of surgery, although their naming might suggest so.
  • General surgery is traditionally defined as the specialty of surgery of the skin, endocrine glands, and abdomen (and, sometimes, the mammary glands). In some countries, it is still deemed a pre-requisite training prior to progression to training in certain sub-specialties, but lately has evolved into its own sub-specialty.
  • Cardiovascular surgery is the surgical specialty that is concerned with the heart and major blood vessels of the chest.
  • Neurosurgery is concerned with the operative treatment of diseases of the nervous system.
  • Maxillofacial surgery is concerned with the operative treatment of diseases, deformities and other conditions of lower and middle one-third of face, including oral cavity and teeth (technically a subspeciality of dentistry)
  • Ophthalmology deals with the diseases of the eyes and their treatment.
  • Orthopedic surgery consists of surgery of the locomotor system.
  • Otolaryngology (or otorhinolaryngology or ENT/ear-nose-throat) is concerned with treatment of ear, nose and throat disorders. The term head and neck surgery defines a closely related specialty which is concerned mainly with the surgical management of cancer of the same anatomical structures.
  • Pediatric surgery treats a wide variety of thoracic and abdominal (and sometimes urologic) diseases of childhood.
  • Plastic surgery includes aesthetic surgery (operations that are done for other than medical purposes) as well as reconstructive surgery (operations to restore function and/or appearance after traumatic or operative mutilation).
  • Surgical oncology is concerned with curative and palliative surgical approaches to cancer treatment.
  • Urology focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the male reproductive system. It is often practiced together with andrology ("men's health").
  • Vascular surgery is surgery of "peripheral" blood vessels, i.e. those outside of the chest (usually operated on by cardiovascular surgeons) and of the central nervous system (treated by neurosurgery).
• Urgent care focuses on delivery of unscheduled, walk-in care outside of the hospital emergency department for injuries and illnesses that are not severe enough to require care in an emergency department.

Anesthesia (AE), also anaesthesia (BE), is the process of blocking the perception of pain and other sensations. ... American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate between the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom and those used elsewhere. ... For the song (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth by Metallica, go here. ... Pain medicine is a branch of anaesthetics concerned with the treatment of acute and chronic pain. ... Dermatology (from Greek derma, skin) is a branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its appendages (hair, nails, sweat glands etc). ... Emergency medicine is a branch of medicine that is practiced in a hospital emergency department, in the field (in a modified form; see EMS), and other locations where initial medical treatment of illness takes place. ... Trauma can represent: Physical trauma, an often serious and body-altering physical injury, such as the removal of a limb. ... A general practitioner (GP) or family physician (FP) is a physician who provides primary care. ... A general practitioner (GP) or family physician (FP) is a physician who provides primary care. ... A general practitioner (GP) or family physician (FP) is a physician who provides primary care. ... Hospital medicine is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. ... Internal medicine is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of internal diseases, that is, those that affect internal organs or the body as a whole. ... Cardiology is the branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the heart and blood vessels. ... The circulatory system or cardiovascular system is the organ system which circulates blood around the body of most animals. ... Intensive care medicine or critical care medicine is concerned with providing greater than ordinary medical care and observation to people in a critical or unstable condition. ... Intensive Care Medicine or critical care medicine is concerned with providing greater than ordinary medical care and observation to people in a critical or unstable condition. ... Endocrinology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the endocrine system and its specific secretions called hormones. ... Major endocrine glands. ... An endocrine gland is one of a set of internal organs involved in the secretion of hormones into the blood. ... A hormone (from Greek horman - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Gastroenterology or gastrology is the medical specialty concerned with the field of digestive diseases. ... For the Physics term GUT, please refer to Grand unification theory The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and... Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention and treatment of disease and disability in later life. ... Hematology is the branch of medicine that is concerned with blood and its disorders. ... Hepatology is the branch of medicine that is concerned with disorders of the liver, gall bladder and biliary ducts. ... The liver is one of the largest internal organs of the human body. ... A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile. ... In medicine, infectious disease or communicable disease is disease caused by a biological agent such as by a virus, bacterium or parasite. ... Nephrology is the branch of internal medicine dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney. ... Oncology is the medical subspecialty dealing with the study and treatment of cancer. ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... In medicine, pulmonology (aka pneumology) is the specialty that deals with diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Rheumatology, a subspecialty of internal medicine, is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic diseases. ... A joint is a nicely rolled marijuana cigarette. ... Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system and its disorders. ... The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. ... Obstetrics (from the Latin obstare, to stand by) is the surgical specialty dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (the period shortly after birth). ... The shamefulness associated with the examination of female genitalia has long inhibited the science of gynaecology. ... Obstetrics and gynaecology (often abbreviated OB/GYN in the U.S. and O&G elsewhere) form a single medical speciality and have a combined postgraduate training program. ... Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics or pædiatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. ... Pediatric endocrinology is a medical subspecialty dealing with variations of physical growth and sexual development in childhood, as well as diabetes and other disorders of the endocrine glands. ... Oncology is the medical study and treatment of cancer. ... Pediatric ophthalmology and is a sub-speciality of ophthalmology concerned with diseases of the eyes in children. ... Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics defined as the care of the ill or premature newborn infant. ... Physical medicine and rehabilitation or physiatry is a particular field of medicine. ... A congenital disorder is a medical condition that is present at birth. ... Preventive medicine is that part of medicine engaged with preventing disease rather than curing it. ... Community Health Community health is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of a given community. ... Public health is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. ... // What is occupational medicine Occupational medicine is the branch of clinical medicine most active in the field of occupational health. ... Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that studies, diagnoses and treats mental illness and behavioral disorders. ... Psychotherapy is a set of techniques intended to improve mental health, emotional or behavioral issues in individuals, who are often called clients. These issues often make it hard for people to manage their lives and achieve their goals. ... Clinical psychology is the application of psychology within a clinical (health) setting. ... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ... Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Clinac 2100 C accelerator Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionising radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ... A surgeon operating General Surgery deals with surgical treatment of abdominal organs, e. ... In medicine, the field of (cardio)thoracic surgery or cardiovascular surgery is involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the heart (cardiovascular disease) and lungs (lung disease). ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods. ... Old German engraving depicting a trepanation, an ancient and still performed neurosurgical procedure Neurosurgery is the surgical discipline focused on treating those central and peripheral nervous system diseases amenable to mechanical intervention. ... Maxillofacial surgery is part of a regional surgical specialty called Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. ... Radiographs (X-rays) can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth and their supporting bones and soft tissues) to human beings. ... An optical refractor in use. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Orthopedic corset Orthopaedic surgery or orthopaedics (U.S. orthopedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with acute, chronic, traumatic, and recurrent injuries and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system, its muscular and bone parts. ... Otolaryngology is the branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head & neck disorders. ... Surgical Oncology is the branch of surgery which focuses on the surgical managment of malignant neoplasms (cancer). ... Pediatric surgery is a subspecialty of surgery involving the surgery of fetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. ... Chest of a human male The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals. ... The abdomen (from the Latin word meaning belly) is the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax. ... Urology is the field of surgery that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and of the male reproductive system. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cosmesis. ... Surgical Oncology is the branch of surgery which focuses on the surgical managment of malignant neoplasms (cancer). ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... Urology is the field of surgery that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and of the male reproductive system. ... Andrology (from the Greek andros, man) is the medical specialty that deals with mens health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system and urological problems that are unique to men. ... Vascular surgery is the branch of surgery that occupies itself with surgical interventions of arteries and veins, as well as conservative therapies for disease of the peripheral vascular system. ... Chest of a human male The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals. ... In medicine, the field of (cardio)thoracic surgery or cardiovascular surgery is involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the heart (cardiovascular disease) and lungs (lung disease). ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Old German engraving depicting a trepanation, an ancient and still performed neurosurgical procedure Neurosurgery is the surgical discipline focused on treating those central and peripheral nervous system diseases amenable to mechanical intervention. ... Urgent care is the delivery of ambulatory care in a facility dedicated to the delivery of unscheduled, walk-in care outside of a hospital emergency department. ...

Interdisciplinary fields

Interdisciplinary sub-specialties of medicine are:

• Aerospace medicine deals with medical problems related to flying and space travel.
• Bioethics is a field of study which concerns the relationship between biology, science, medicine and ethics, philosophy and theology.
• Clinical pharmacology is concerned with how systems of therapeutics interact with patients.
• Conservation medicine studies the relationship between human and animal health, and environmental conditions. Also known as ecological medicine, environmental medicine, or medical geology.
• Diving medicine (or hyperbaric medicine) is the prevention and treatment of diving-related problems.
• Evolutionary medicine is a perspective on medicine derived through applying evolutionary theory.
• Forensic medicine deals with medical questions in legal context, such as determination of the time and cause of death.
• Medical humanities includes the humanities (literature, philosophy, ethics, history and religion), social science (anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology), and the arts (literature, theater, film, and visual arts) and their application to medical education and practice.
• Medical informatics and medical computer science are relatively recent fields that deal with the application of computers and information technology to medicine.
• Nosology is the classification of diseases for various purposes.
• Sports medicine deals with the treatment and preventive care of athletics, amateur and professional. The team includes specialty physicians and surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, coaches, other personnel, and, of course, the athlete.
• Therapeutics is the field, more commonly referenced in earlier periods of history, of the various remedies that can be used to treat disease and promote health [1] [2].
• Travel medicine or emporiatrics deals with health problems of international travelers or travelers across highly different evironments.

Aviation medicine is a branch of medicine that applies medical knowledge to the human factors in aviation. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. ... Biology is the branch of science dealing with the study of life. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... Clinical pharmacology is studying pharmacology in relation to clinical science. ... Medicine on the Web NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Dictionary Collection of links to free medical resources Categories: Medicine | Health ... Conservation medicine is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship between human and animal health, and environmental conditions. ... Diving medicine is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions caused by humans entering the undersea environment. ... Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen at a higher than atmospheric pressure. ... Evolutionary medicine or Darwinian medicine is a perspective on medicine derived through applying evolutionary theory. ... Forensics or forensic science is the application of science to questions which are of interest to the legal system. ... This article is about law in society. ... Medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field of medicine which includes the humanities (literature, philosophy, ethics, history and religion), social science (anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology), and the arts (literature, theater, film, and visual arts) and their application to medical education and practice. ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... Literature is literally acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts, which in Western culture are mainly prose, both fiction and non-fiction... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ethics (from Greek ethikos) is the branch of axiology – one of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, epistemology, and logic – which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to define that which is right from that which is wrong. ... HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book 1 was a double-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995. ... Terms like SOSE (Studies of Society & the Environment) not only refer to social sciences but also studies of the environment. ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος, human or person) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ... Cultural studies combines sociology, literary theory, film/video studies, and cultural anthropology to study cultural phenomena in industrial societies. ... Auguste Rodins The Thinker, bronze cast by Alexis Rudier, Laeken Cemetery, Brussels, Belgium. ... Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... Winged Victory of Samothrace exihibited in the Louvre. ... Literature is literally acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts, which in Western culture are mainly prose, both fiction and non-fiction... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... The visual arts are a class of artforms, including painting, sculpture, photography, and others, that focus on the creation of artworks which are primarily visual in nature. ... Electronic patient chart of a HIS Medical Informatics is the name given to the discipline that exists at the intersection of information technology and medicine. ... Electronic patient chart of a HIS Medical Informatics is the name given to the application of information technology to healthcare. ... A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions - a program. ... Category: ... Nosology (in Greek Nosos = Disease) is a branch of medicine that deals with classification of diseases. ... Sports medicine or sport medicine is an interdisciplinary subspecialty of medicine which deals with the treatment and preventive care of athletes, both amateur and professional. ... Athletics, also known, especially in American English, as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping. ... The word amateur has at least two connotations. ... A professional does an activity to receive payment for an act (as a profession), which usually requires expertise and carries with it socially significant mores and folkways. ... In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of an athletic team or of individual athletes. ... An athlete is a person who has above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and is thus suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests. ... Medicine on the Web NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Dictionary Collection of links to free medical resources Categories: Medicine | Health ... Travel medicine or emporiatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems of international travelers. ...

Medical education

An image of a 1901 examination in the faculty of medicine.

Main articles: Medical education and Medical school Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x768, 177 KB) Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) 1901 examination at faculty of medicine File links The following pages link to this file: Medicine Postgraduate education Medical school ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x768, 177 KB) Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) 1901 examination at faculty of medicine File links The following pages link to this file: Medicine Postgraduate education Medical school ... Medical school generally refers to a tertiary educational institution (or part of such an institution) which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners (medical doctors). ... An image of a 1901 examination in the faculty of medicine. ...

Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a doctor or further training thereafter.

Medical education and training varies considerably across the world, however typically involves entry level education at a university medical school, followed by a period of supervised practise and possibly postgraduate vocational training. Continuing medical education is a requirement of many regulatory authorities. An image of a 1901 examination in the faculty of medicine. ... Continuing medical education (CME) or continuing professional development (CPD) consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a medical practitioner uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. ...

Various teaching methodologies have been utilised in medical education, which is an active area of educational research.

Medical devices

See also the main articles: implant, artificial limbs, corrective lenses, cochlear implants, ocular prosthetics, facial prosthetics, somato prosthetics, surgical prosthetics, maxillo-facial prosthetics and dental implants Implants (from Latin in-, in ; and Latin plantere, to plant) are artificial devices which made to replace and act as a missing biological structure. ... A United States soldier demonstrates Foosball with two prosthetic limbs Artificial limbs are a type of prosthesis and are classified by the type of amputation they would replace, for example: Transtibial: Below the knee Transfemoral: Above the knee Transradial: below the elbow Transhumeral: above the elbow For congenital (from birth... A corrective lens is a prosthetic lens worn on or before the eye, used to treat myopia, hypermetropia, presbyopia and astigmatism. ... Illustration of the internal parts of a cochlear implant A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted hearing aid that can help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. ... An ocular prosthetic or artificial eye replaces a missing natural eye following an enucleation or envisceration that was lost due to disease or injury. ... A facial prosthetic or facial prosthesis is an artificial device used to change or adapt a persons outward appearance. ... A dental implant is used in prosthetic dentistry. ...

Medical devices are devices used by health professionals as tools in diagnosis, treatment, or other aspects of patient care.

Legal restrictions

In most countries, it is a legal requirement for medical doctors to be licensed or registered. In general, this entails a medical degree from a university and accreditation by a medical board or an equivalent national organization, which may ask the applicant to pass exams. This restricts the considerable legal authority of the medical profession to doctors that are trained and qualified by national standards. It is also intended as an assurance to patients and as a safeguard against charlatans that practice inadequate medicine for personal gain. While the laws generally require medical doctors to be trained in "evidence based", Western, or Hippocratic Medicine, they are not intended to discourage different paradigms of health and healing, such as alternative medicine or faith healing. A charlatan is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money or advantage by false pretenses. ... Hippocrates: a conventionalized image in a Roman portrait bust (19th century engraving) Hippocrates of Cos (c. ... It has been suggested that Complementary and alternative medicine be merged into this article or section. ... Spiritual healing redirects here. ...

Criticism

Criticism of medicine has a long history. In the Middle Ages, some people did not consider it a profession suitable for Christians, as disease was often considered Godsent. However many monastic orders, particularly the Benedictines, considered the care of the sick as their chief work of mercy. Barber-surgeons generally had a bad reputation that was not to improve until the development of academic surgery as a speciality of medicine, rather than an accessory field. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. ... Barbers were often recruited for the job of surgery in earlier military history. ...

Through the course of the twentieth century, doctors focused increasingly on the technology that was enabling them to make dramatic improvements in patients' health. The ensuing development of a more mechanistic, detached practice, with the perception of an attendant loss of patient-focused care led to further criticisms. This issue started to reach collective professional consciousness in the 1970s and the profession had begun to respond by the 1980s and 1990s.

Perhaps the most devastating criticism of modern medicine came from Ivan Illich, in his 1976 work Medical Nemesis. In his view, modern medicine only medicalises disease, causing loss of health and wellness, while generally failing to restore health by eliminating disease. The human being thus becomes a lifelong patient. Other less radical philosophers have voiced similar views, but none were as virulent as Illich. (Another example can be found in Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman, 1992, which criticises overreliance on technological means in medicine.) Ivan Illich Ivan Illich (Vienna, September 4, 1926 - Bremen, December 2, 2002), polymath, polemicist. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Health can be defined negatively, as the absence of illness, functionally as the ability to cope with everyday activities, or positively, as fitness and well-being (Blaxter 1990). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Criticism of modern medicine has led to some improvements in the curricula of medical schools, which now teach students systematically on medical ethics, holistic approaches to medicine, the biopsychosocial model and similar concepts. Medical ethics is the discipline of evaluating the merits, risks, and social concerns of activities in the field of medicine. ... Holistic health is a philosophy which promotes wholeness over the reductionism and dualism of conventional Western medicine. ... The biopsychosocial model of medicine, is a way of looking at the mind and body of a patient as two important systems that are interlinked. ...

The inability of modern medicine to properly address many common complaints continues to prompt many people to seek support from alternative medicine. Although most alternative approaches lack scientific validation, some report improvement of symptoms after obtaining alternative therapies. The bioscience medical paradigm and the alternative / complementary healthcare paradigms may differ to such an extent that what constitutes scientific evidence is contested. Many medical doctors also practice alternative medicine alongside the orthodox. It has been suggested that Complementary and alternative medicine be merged into this article or section. ...

Medical errors are also the focus of many complaints and negative coverage. Practitioners of human factors engineering believe that there is much that medicine may usefully gain by emulating concepts in aviation safety, where it was long ago realized that it is dangerous to place too much responsibility on one "superhuman" individual and expect him or her not to make errors. Reporting systems and checking mechanisms are becoming more common in identifying sources of error and improving practice. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ergonomics. ... During the 1920s, the first laws were passed in the USA to regulate civil aviation. ... The word error has different meanings in different domains. ...

Radical critics of certain medical traditions may hold that whole fields or traditions of medicine are intrinsically harmful or ineffective. They would reject any use or support of practices belonging to that tradition. However, generally, there is spectrum of efficacy on which all traditions lie; some are more effective, some are less effective, but nearly all contain some harmful practices and some effective ones. Naturally, though, most individuals or groups seeking a healthcare practice to improve their own health would seek a tradition with the maximum degree of efficacy.

See also

• Academic conference
• Big killers
• Complementary and alternative medicine
• Health profession
• Healthcare system
• Iatrogenesis (ill health caused by medical treatment)
• List of diseases
• List of medical abbreviations
• List of medical schools
• Important publications in medicine
• Medical equipment
• Rare diseases

An academic conference is a conference for researchers (not always academics) to present and discuss their work. ... In public health, a big killer is a disease or other major cause of loss of human life. ... Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a diverse set of medical and health care systems, practices, and products encompassing both complementary medicine and alternative medicine. ... A health profession is a profession in which a person exercises skill or judgment or provides a service related to: (a) the preservation or improvement of the health of individuals, or (b) the treatment or care of individuals who are injured, sick, disabled, or infirm. ... A healthcare system is the organization by which health care is provided. ... Iatrogenesis is the causation of a state of ill health or adverse effect or complication caused by or resulting from medical treatment. ... A listing of diseases. ... This is a list of medical acronyms and abbreviations. ... List of Medical Schools by continent and country. ... Foundations De Materia Medica Author: Pedanius Dioscorides Publication data: De Materia Medica, 50–70 Online version: Online version of first volume Description: This five-volume work was a precursor to all modern pharmacopeias. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Medical devices. ... A rare disease has such a low prevalence in a population that a doctor in a busy general practice would not expect to see more than one case a year. ...

External links

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School of Medicine

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Medicine

• Medicine on the Web
• NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals)
• Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa)
• Online Medical Information- medical news, links and resources
• Collection of links to free medical resources