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Medicine, as a profession, has always been considered the noblest of all. Through centuries, it has seen a transition in the way it operates; from the quackeries to the scientific advancement in the medicinal properties of various drugs. But the fundamental has always been clear. Medicine is supposed to help people, cure them of their ailments and restore them to their good health. Medicine evolved as a subject from the 19th-century till present. The transition in the medical field, in the 19th- century was mainly along two lines. The first stream was the improvements to the science of medical theory, and the second stream was the evolution to the practice of daily medicine at homes. Stalwarts like Benjamin Rush changed the face of scientific medication, while the quacks continued with their unscientific and old-age methods. At the beginning of the 19th century, the doctors believed any cure for any ailment lay in taking out excess blood and purge from the body of the patients. The road ahead looked dark, and it was only with the advent of some extremely advanced minds that the breakthrough in the field of medicine happened. Hospitals began to get more organized, and the first of the developments were the usages of anesthesia. There were more inclinations towards the continued usage of antiseptics. (Ronald L. Numbers, 2014)
In the 19th century America, the doctors could perform surgeries, and with the increased use of antiseptics, the surgeries usually came out successful. The American doctors in the 19th-century started the use of stethoscopes to examine the chest, lungs, and the heart. Diet- planning, massages, prescription of medicinal herbs were also in vogue back then.
The doctors in the 19th- century were more of neighbors, who knew and practiced medicine. They often travelled on horseback or on foot, and charged meagerly for their services. Though they had the best interests of their patients at heart, they lacked approach. They weren’t professional, exactly. Often they weren’t paid in cash, but in kind. A 19th-century doctor would take a pound of butter, or a bundle of clothes for dispensing treatment, something unthinkable of today. There was more inclination to learn, and yet, the situation wasn’t too competitive.
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In contrast, the 20th-century American medicine saw unprecedented advancement, with the discovery of penicillin, the influenza vaccine, the vaccine for polio, and the first successful heart transplant. It was the golden age of medicine. The advent and progression of medicine from the 19th-century to the present was a transformation in the way technology and science advanced. The initial days of purging out blood and puss from the body shaped into surgeries, anesthesia, antiseptics, drugs, and finally evolution of such excellent, life-changing vaccines. The professionalism of doctors changed, too. Earlier they were people who visited the homes on horseback and carriages, and rarely charged much fee. They weren’t as aware about the importance of their profession, and mostly were into traditional methods. However, in the 19th century, the doctors were gradually coming out into their own, and starting to embrace modernity. In the coming century, this gradual baby step took a major leap. In the 20th century, doctors were more proactive and wanted a good fee. They were more inclined to try out new things, and get the patients the best treatment ever. They used knowledge and experiments to progress and make unprecedented advancements in the field of medicine. (The Face-Off, 2014)
In the 21st-century, doctors are strictly professional. They go about their routine-checkups competently, they perform surgeries efficiently, and wear a cool, composed mask all the time. They often charge exorbitantly high fees, and they aren’t emotional about poor patients. They keep their patients at bay, and just do their work. The emotional connect is missing in most doctors today, yet they have built on their past, and practice medicine perfectly. They care for their patients, but never get involved in a case personally. They have a specific code of conduct and ethics, and abide by them. Just like any other profession, the doctors of today do their work and go home. They are strictly professional.
Even in nursing, the 19th-century definition of nursing involved home nursing, and taking care of the elderly and the children. They were caretakers of babies and weaned them, in case their mothers died. They usually lived in the houses of their employers, and nursing was considered a domestic profession.
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Reputation was strictly missing for nursing. It was only with the advent of the wars in the 20th-century that women began to assist as volunteers of Red Cross, and serve the nation. Various nursing colleges came up, and by the advent of the 20th -century, nursing was an honorable profession, at par with medicine. The nurses gradually transcended from boiling water to actually assisting in surgeries. They developed a professional approach and helped the growth of medicine, with their expertise and competent nature. (Aaron Beck, 2014)
In the 21st-century, nurses are seen as support systems for the doctors. They often independently deal with patients, and are highly trained for the same. The nurses are cool, composed, and highly efficient. They manage many patients with elan, and yet treat each patient as per his needs. Capable and competent, the nurses are emotionally detached, and act as strict professionals.
The basic difference between doctors and nurses is that while the former can study the diseases and provide a cure, the nurses follow the former’s instructions and undertake the healing process. However, a similarity that binds them is that across the ages, their approach and professionalism has enhanced. They have come a long way from the pure domestic nature of the 19th-century to the strictly-work-no-emotion approach. They have learned their ethics and code of conduct well, and do their jobs better than their predecessors. There isn’t much of an emotional connect, but a more scientific and competent approach, which helps the patients.
The most fascinating evolution is that of professionalism. The casual, slightly- regressive attitude of the earlier centuries began to evade away in the 19th- century. In the 20th-century, there was unparalleled growth in the professionals. In the 21st-century, it is all about being a good professional. Be it medicine or nursing, professionalism has indeed grown. (Verghese, Abraham, 2014)
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Bibliography
- “The Face-Off,” Health Affairs 27, no.1 (2008):210-215
- Aaron Beck, “The Flexner Report and the Standardization of American Medical Education,” JAMA May 5, 2004.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=198677
- Verghese,Abraham. “Culture Shock-Patient as Icon, Icon as Patient.”The New England Journal of Medicine. December 5,2008. http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMp0807461
- Ronald L. Numbers. “The Fall and Rise of the American Medical Profession,” Leavitt &Numbers, pp. 225-236.
