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| Statue of Asclepius,
the Greek god of medicine, holding the symbolic
Rod of Asclepius with its coiled serpent. |
Medicine
Medicine is the science that deals with diseases
(illnesses) in humans and animals, the best ways to
prevent diseases, and the best ways to return to a
healthy condition.
People who practice medicine are most often called
medical doctors or physicians. Often doctors work
closely with nurses and many other types of health care
professionals.
Many doctors specialize in one kind of medical work. For
example, pediatrics is the medical specialty about the
health of children.
Specialties in Medicine
Anaesthesiology
In this specialty, the doctor is trained to provide
anaesthesia and sedation. This is important for
surgeries and certain medical procedures.
Anaesthesiologists also provide pre-operative
assessments, ensuring the patient is safe during the
operation and successfully awakens from anaesthesia
after the operation. They assess for medical conditions
and suitability for anaesthesia. They screen for risk
factors prior to surgery and try to optimize the
operative environment for the patient and the surgeon.
They are the doctors who give epidurals during labor and
delivery, provide spinal blocks, local nerve blocks, and
general anaesthesia for procedures. They are the doctors
who are especially trained in intubation (putting a tube
into the lungs to help a person artificially breathe
when the person is paralyzed and asleep during surgery).
Hence, due to their skill in intubation, they are often
the first line responders for emergencies. They help
people who are in distress with their breathing, who
have lost their airway or when their airway has become
obstructed. |
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Cardiology
A cardiologist is a doctor with special training on the
heart. The doctor in this field ensures the heart is
healthy and functions properly. The heart is a vital
organ whose role is to pump blood to the rest of the
body. The purpose of blood is to deliver oxygen to the
tissues. Without the heart functioning well, our tissues
and organs would die and not function properly.
Cardiologists treat heart related illnesses.
Cardiovascular surgery
This specialty consists of well trained doctors who
practice cardiac surgery. They are best known for their
role in cardiac bypass surgeries. In cardiac bypass, the
surgeon restores blood flow to the area of the heart
that was deficient due to a blocked coronary artery.
This is usually done by taking a vein, most commonly the
saphenous vein from the leg, to create a pathway of
blood flow to the heart region that needs it.
Emergency Medicine
Emergency room doctors are in charge of sudden important
or life-threatening emergencies. In addition to dealing
with heart attacks, strokes, traumas, issues that
require immediate medical attention or surgeries, they
also deal with a wide range of other health conditions,
such as mental health and drug overdoses. Their training
is broad and diverse as anyone can walk through the door
seeking help. They see patients of all ages and walks of
life. However, unlike a general practitioner or family
doctor, their immediate goal is to make sure the patient
is stable and exclude any serious or life-threatening
diseases or conditions. |
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Family Medicine
A family doctor, otherwise known as general
practitioner, is trained to provide medical service to
people of all ages, demographics, and walks of life.
Their training is diverse to deal with a variety of
conditions including all non surgical specialties. They
also follow the patient from birth to death and are
trained to treat an individual as a whole, in the
context of their social setting and also their family
situation and mental health. Unlike specialists who
mainly deal with problems of one organ or system, family
doctors deal with all parts of the body and synthesize
this information for the patient's general health. They
provide a global perspective of the person's health in
the patient's unique life situation. They are an
individual's regular doctor who knows the patient in
their social and family context. They can refer to
specialists for issues that require more detailed or
specialized treatments unavailable to them as an
outpatient or beyond their expertise.
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterologists are doctors who specialize in the
gastrointestinal (GI) tract and upper abdominal organs.
The GI tract is consists of the esophagus all the way
down to the anus. The upper abdominal organs include the
liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen. In addition to
dealing with medical conditions associated with these
organs, doctors in this speciality also perform
endoscopies. This is where a camera is placed to
visualize the esophagus and stomach (upper endoscopy) or
the colon (lower endoscopy or colonoscopy).
Gastroenterologists that specialize in the liver is
called a Hepatologist. They are responsible for treating
patients with liver failure or cirrhosis. They also
treat patients with viral Hepatitis (A,B,C) and many
other forms of liver disease.
Internal Medicine
Doctors in this specialty are trained to recognize and
treat a variety of different conditions involving the
internal organs. They have wide knowledge in a number of
specialties including, but not limited to: Respirology,
Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Cardiology. Doctors who
practice broadly in this field are known as General
Internists (or General Internal Medicine doctors).
Internists can go to receive further training beyond
residency in a particular field. For example,
Gastroenterologists are internists that have chosen to
specialize in GI medicine. Internal medicine doctors are
in charge of inpatient units when patients are admitted
for a general reason. Unlike family doctors and
emergency doctors, although their training is diverse
and they have broad knowledge in many organ systems,
they do not treat or manage children, babies, or
pregnant women. (Those patients are instead cared for by
Pediatricians and Obstetrics/gynecology, respectively.)
Gynecology & Obstetrics
Doctors in this field, abbreviated OBGYN or Obs/Gyn,
specialize in women's health covering conditions of the
female reproductive organs, and pregnancy care and
delivery. Some examples of gynecological issues they
deal with include contraceptive medicine, fertility
workup and treatments, prolapse and incontinence,
ovarian tumors/ cysts, gynecological oncology. They are
also surgeons in their fields, capable of performing
numerous gynecological surgeries. Doctors in this field
also practice obstetrical medicine, specialising in
maternal fetal care and deliveries, complications
related to deliveries, assisted deliveries (such as
vacuum and forceps deliveries) and Caesarian sections. |
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Ophthalmology
This medical specialty consists of well trained doctors
who recognize and treat medical conditions associated
with the eyes. Some common complaints they see include
red eye, eye pain, visual changes and trauma. They deal
with many eye diseases including conjunctivitis, iritis,
blepharitis, hordeolum, chalazion, glaucoma, cataracts,
macular degeneration, retinal detachments, papilloedema,
central retinary artery occlusion. They are trained to
perform surgery.
Otolaryngology
These are doctors with special training to treat the
ears, nose and throat. These are the doctors who will
very commonly remove an organ call the "tonsils" from a
patient.
Pulmonary
This medical speciality, commonly known as chest
medicine or respiratory medicine, deals with the
respiratory system. It usually involves patients who
require intensive care including life support and
mechanical ventilation. Doctors of this field usually
are knowledgeable in diseases and conditions of the
chest, such as pneumonia or asthma. Doctors in this
field tend to perform minor procedures in surgery of the
respiratory tract. Pulmonary specialists often practice
critical care medicine. They also manage complicated
chest infections. |
|
 Kiddle: Medicine
Wikipedia: Medicine |
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