Modern Medicine is a term used to describe the science-based treatment and diagnostic methodology employed in the modern healthcare system. Also known as allopathic medicine, it involves the use of drugs and surgery to help patients overcome diseases or illnesses.
The scientific basis of modern medicine started with Hippocrates, the father of medical science. His belief that medicine was a science and his emphasis on diet have had a major impact on how medicine is practiced today.
Until the nineteenth century, medical progress was relatively slow. Physicians often had to wait years for experiments to establish whether or not their hypotheses were valid.
Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Evolving Landscape of Modern Medicine
In the nineteenth century, a series of crucial breakthroughs occurred. Louis Pasteur’s germ theory ushered in the age of aseptic conditions for the creation of vaccines and the ability to kill bacteria; Martinus Beijernick’s discovery of different disease microbes allowed doctors to diagnose them; and Karl Landsteiner’s definition of blood groups allowed physicians to detect warning signs of serious illness.
These discoveries led to the development of modern biotechnology, which has enabled the production of pharmaceuticals that are tailored to specific physiological processes (such as reducing the side-effects of a drug). Knowledge of evolution and genetics is also having an increasing influence on medicine, allowing scientists to identify causative genes for monogenic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.
With an excellent understanding of causes, doctors are able to diagnose issues with greater accuracy and deliver treatments that are more targeted and effective. However, too much of medicine still has a palliative rather than curative orientation, and it will take a major effort to ensure that this change takes place.
