Medicine, Mayhem and Disease
Medicine, Mayhem and Disease
1. How and why did the status of physicians and surgeons change in the 18th and 19th centuries?
Before the eighteenth century, most of the physicians and surgeons employed practices that had been used for centuries, which have yielded little or no results. There was a high mortality rate. Before anesthesia was discovered, patients underwent painful operations . The surgeons employed brutal methods as they had no other option to save the life of the patient. Even after effective methods of medicine had been introduced in the later part of the century, the physicians and surgeons hesitated to use them in the fear of losing their reputation.
The physicians were limited to diagnosing the diseases and prescribing medicines. However, the surgeons, on the other hand, performed operations, and treated emergency cases . The status of the physicians and surgeons improved with the invention of sophisticated technologies in medicine. Painless procedures and convenient methods attracted more and more people to approach the surgeons. People believed medicine as a therapeutic necessity and surgery as a scientific endeavor . Surgeons proved outstanding results and hence were given a great respect in the society.
The physicians and surgeons were respected and treated as the intellectuals of the society. Physicians were educated from the universities and were considered to be the most knowledgeable ones about medicine. Research has turned the life of the physicians. Discovery of new treatments and procedures helped to save the lives of the patients and prevent epidemics from spreading all over the area . More and more people showed interest to pursue medicine as their career. The physicians and surgeons were given license and were authorized to treat the patients under hygienic conditions. The high advancements achieved in the field of medicine during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries changed the status of the physicians and surgeons.
2. Discuss the impact of the microscope on medicine
The microscope was one of the greatest inventions in the history of medicine. It is a key invention that has given a ray of hope to understand the organization of cells and tissues in the body and in turn contributed to find out a solution for the prevention of the disease . Prior to the invention of the microscope, it was a challenge to find the cure for diseases. However, the invention of the microscope has made things easy. Microscope is employed in clinical laboratories to investigate specimens and samples of the tissues and has played an outstanding role in characterizing the diseases and abnormalities in the body.
The recent stem cell research couldn’t have been possible without the microscope. The invention of the microscope has enabled the scientists to identify different types of viruses and understand how they affect the body . The microscope has impacted medicine by helping in discovering cancerous cells in the human body. It has also assisted in detecting the abnormal tissues and conduct research on the preventive measures. Microscope has also played a major role in exploring the DNA and gene molecules of the body .
Microscope allowed the researchers in exploring all fields of medicine by enabling to view the structures that are too small to view by human eye. The discovery of microorganisms with the help of the microscope has changed the future of medicine. The invention of several vaccines and medical treatments was possible with the help of the microscope. It also helped to study the nervous system and develop the scientific techniques used for the treatment of brain issues . Thus, Microscope has turned out to be one of the greatest revolutions in the field of medicine.
Works Cited
Beale, L. S. (1878). The Microscope in Medicine. J. and A. Churchill.
Burke, J. (2009). Day the Universe Changed. Little, Brown.
Ellis, H. (2001). A History of Surgery. Cambridge University Press.
Gedeon, A. (2007). Science and Technology in Medicine. Springer.
