How Modern Medicine Was Developed Term Paper

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The Development of Modern Medicine

How did Greek and Galenic notions of health and disease differ from the work of Morgagni and the practitioners of French Clinical medicine?

The Greek and Galenic notions of health and disease differed from the Morgagni in that they viewed disease as being caused by an imbalance in the body. Galenic notions were intertwined with philosophy, which was aimed at answering the Socratic question "How should a person live a good life?" Therefore, the Galenic physicians were required to have mastered philosophy and this meant that they employed more of philosophy on their diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. It is for this reason that most of the physicians believed that a disease was caused by an excess or deficiency in the body. The main goals for treatment were to restore the proper balance of the patient's body. The physicians were not meant to treat an ailment or a disease, they were merely meant to help nature. This meant that nature played a vital role in the physician's art because it was the source and also the limit. During those times, a physician who was deeply steeped in the study of philosophy was considered to be performing true medicine and the others were just quacks. Having mastered natural philosophy, the physician had insight into both the nature of the universe and human nature. This is what informed the Galenic view of the body as being fluid mainly because it was composed of four humors namely blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. It was believed that the four humors were formed by the same elements that constituted the cosmos (fire, water, air, and earth).

The imbalance that caused an illness needed to be cleansed and the cleansing was done by using specific diets and bloodletting. In those Greek times, people had for a long time believed in the supernatural causes of disease. However, the Galenic view it became more important because it offered an alternative that was grounded in philosophy. With the Hippocrates' idea of disease was given a more natural suggestion. People now began to seek natural remedies instead of supernatural remedies. The galenic influence was stemmed in using medicine that was derived from vegetable and animal ingredients and this can still be seen to date. There are people who still practice Galenism and they only use drugs and medicines that are derived from vegetable or animals. Treatment for diseases was aimed at readjusting the perceived imbalances of the humors. Siphoning off a humor that was believed to have overgrown or has been corrupted. Other methods used were bleeding, vomiting, or purging. Physicians were never worried about a loose stool or diarrhea. They believed that this was the body's own way of cleansing its system and there was no need for worry or concern. If the cleansing was not discharged, it could lead to some distemper. Prevention was vital in humoral medicine. The best method for preventing a disease was for an individual to practice moderation in all things. By modifying their lifestyle, a person could be able to preserve their health and regain it. People were advised to avoid overdoing certain things like overeating, strong drinks, exhaustion, and sedentary lifestyles. The disease was seen as an abuse of nature and every abuse of nature had to be required. Every condition was associated with some form of natural imbalance. This association of the disease with an imbalance of the four humors meant that physicians were more concerned with readjusting the imbalance and not focused on identifying the cause of the disease.

Morgagni was the pioneer of the modern pathological anatomy. He challenged the notion that disease was caused by imbalances in the body that was caused by the four humors.

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By demonstrating the need for basing diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment on a comprehensive knowledge of the anatomical condition. This allowed for the disease to be viewed as being caused by external factors or organisms. By closely analyzing body fluids and tissues one is able to properly diagnose a disease. This differed completely with the Galenic view of disease and offered a different perspective that could be answered using evidence and not just philosophical underlying’s. Separating medicine from philosophy was also vital to ensure that physicians were allowed to focus on the anatomy of the human body without employing philosophy in order to diagnose a disease. Treatments are based on the processing, examination, and diagnosing of surgical specimens. Morgagni had a desire to understand the underlying anatomical lesions of the disease than any of his patients had suffered from. This is what led him to autopsies on bodies of patients. This was never done during the Galenic period because it was outlawed in the Greek law. However, Galen had made some attempts at dissecting animals especially pigs, which he believed had the same anatomical structure as that of humans (Bynum).

Having dissected and inspected numerous bodies, the physicians now began to doubt. This doubt is what has led to the modern technology of anatomical pathology. Assumptions were no longer the order of the day and physicians now had doubt. By doubting one was forced to investigate further and this investigation is what led to the discovery of the root causes of the disease. Symptoms were no longer been seen as due to imbalances in the body, but there was a need to investigate and uncover the underlying cause of the symptoms. This investigation also allowed for the discovery of other bodily functions that had not been discovered in the past. The working of organs was also modified and it was now better understood how fluids moved into the body. Dissecting a body allowed the physicians to better analyze the working of organs and it was no longer believed that blood was produced and used up within the body. Physicians were now better informed and they could offer medications that would assist in fighting off the disease. In the past, due to religious restrictions, it was not possible for a physician to conduct an autopsy. However, there was a gradual relaxation in the late Middle Ages that allowed for autopsies to be carried out in order to determine the cause of death. This was the basis of pathology. Conducting autopsies allowed for the discovery of diseases in individual organs. This discovery is what led to the abandonment of the notion that disease is caused by an imbalance in the four humors. Investigations now became part of the diagnosing process and the practices of bloodletting or cleansing were abandoned. Anatomists further studied the human body and discovered that in a diseased organ only some of its tissues might be affected. Localization of a disease and identifying the actual tissues that were affected allowed the physicians to come up with better methods for treating the disease and this resulted in reduced mortality rates.

Studying the body structures and observing the functioning of the structures allowed physicians to better understand how organs functions and how they can easily treat diseases or infections. Clinical medicine was based on analyzing the fluids of the body and identifying if there is any defect or disease. Laboratory work also gained prominence in that physicians were now more interested in the working of the organs and the flow of fluids (Bynum). understanding the different fluids within the body and their functions led to….....

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References

Bynum, W. The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, United Kingdom: OUP Oxford, 2008. Print.

Warner, J.H., and J.A. Tighe. Major Problems in the History of American Medicine and Public Health: Documents and Essays. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.

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