Western
Medicine: Where are we headed?
Modern medicine,
which originates mostly in rich developed countries or as I will refer to them:
the West, has become the center of many people’s lives. We use medicine in our everyday lives. We use
it to fix something simple, such as a headache, as well as larger things, such
as the fight against cancer or other incurable diseases. As a Canadian I can
say that I have never wanted for medicine. There was never a time that I was
denied the medical care I needed. Here in Canada getting medical care is only
as hard as getting to the nearest hospital and asking for it. In most Western
countries medicine and accessible medical care is something we take for
granted. Yet there are far too many countries
in the world that suffer each and every day because they cannot receive basic
medical care. The kind of care that should be denied to no person.
How did medicine
get so far? How did we arrive where we are? Is the future of medicine heading
in a direction that creates an equal and healthy world? I’d like to think so
but to answer these questions we have to look back into the past. There are
three fundamental things that I think will allow for medicine and advancement
to grow. The first is the lack of constraints laid upon doctors and
researchers. The second is the natural inquiry of humanity and the ability for
new doctors to build off the work of others as has happened in the past. The
final thing is money.
This is when Western
medicine begins to emerge. After the fall of the Roman Empire many of the Greek
ideas were lost and replaced with medical practices that the Church deemed
correct. They supported a practitioner of medicine named Galen and his thoughts
and practices turned out to be disastrous (Ruesch). In The Roman Empire surgery
was highly developed and relatively safe because they believed in sanitation
and cleanliness in the workplace. They removed tumors, kidneys and gall stones.
They even performed some plastic surgery.
When time ushered
in the Middle Ages, the required hygiene was abandoned and more people began to
die because of these procedures and soon people were confined to amputations
and only in dire circumstances (Ruesch). During this time the people followed
Galen’s teachings because there were not allowed to question the Church. Some of
his crazy beliefs included believing that puss was beneficial and fruit was bad
for you (Ruesch). These and many more harmful beliefs were carried on through
this time. The constraints of the Church caused advanced medical system of the
Greeks and the Romans to be lost. This loss set us back hundreds of years and
allowed for hundreds of deaths that could have been prevented. Today in modern
medicine these kind of constraints are non-existent. There are rules that
prevent a select few experiments from being performed and doctors first do no
harm but other than this the research potential is boundless.
In addition,
discovery creates the optimal world for more discovery. Everyone knows that
blood flows through the body and is fundamental to our survival. We, as human
beings, have known in for thousands of years. It was Leonardo Da Vinci that is
considered the father of anatomy. It was general knowledge that blood flows through
the body and the heart but because of Leonardo’s study of human anatomy for his
art the functions of many organs were discovered (Ruesch). The basis of all extensions
of science begins with knowledge. As people start to learn and question, they
find answers and when answers are found medicine can happen. When people know
how a healthy body works they can see where an unhealthy body is going wrong. Leonardo’s
inquiry and curiosity lead to amazing discoveries and new practices for people
to try. Things that worked for humans unlike the Galenic practices. Scientists
build off other scientists. There is no need to start work again that has
already been completed or proven and so we build. As a future scientist
(hopefully) I know that there are many projects that I would like to work on in
the future but when I do begin these projects I will not be starting from
scratch. I will have other brilliant reputable scientists to fall back on. The
more research that is done, the more
research that can be done.
This is a detailed drawing created my Leonardo Da Vinci depicting a child in the womb. The drawing is extremely detailed and explains the functions of many parts of the body involved.
Finally, I believe
that modern medicine will flourish in the west because of money. There are so
many research projects now that are being funded. Finding a cure for Cancer is
slapped on ever charity run, walk and bike race and people want to help. Almost
everyone has family members affected or friends. People create new foundations
for the incurable disease that their son or daughter has and the potential is
amazing. I truly believe that the money that goes into research is not being
wasted. Doctor and communities work together to search for cure. They search for
hope and the money does wonders for this. Also, in developed countries such as
Canada, a lot of research projects are funded by the governments.
If I were to
counter these points, I could say that the funded money isn’t being used well,
that the same research is being done over and over again and that medicine in
the west is going to cross the line one day and become immoral but I don’t believe
that people are inherently evil. I believe that doctors want to help and they
have the morals to prevent themselves from falling into the trap of becoming a
scientist that they are not. We have seen too much good work come out of modern
Western medicine to rebuke it.
Ultimately,
medicine in the west will continue to flourish and grow in the hands of new
scientists and as this happens we will be able to share our medicine and ways
with the rest of the world. The poorer countries will no longer have to worry
about something as simple as healthcare and they will begin the hard to trek to
becoming completely developed.
Works Cited
Ruesch, Hans. "History
of Western Medicine." Medicine Kills Millions. N.p., n.d.
Web. 16 June 2014. <http://www.medicinekillsmillions.com/articles/
history-of-medicine-medical-progress.html
Web. 16 June 2014. <http://www.medicinekillsmillions.com/articles/
history-of-medicine-medical-progress.html
Trueman, Chris.
"History of Medicine." History Learning Site. N.p., 2014. Web.
10 June 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/
history_of_medicine.htm>.
10 June 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/
history_of_medicine.htm>.
Zeeberg, Amos, ed.
"Let's Play Predict the Future: Where Is Science Going over
the Next 30 Years?" Discover. N.p., 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 June 2014.
<http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2010/09/14/
lets-play-predict-the-future-where-is-science-going-over-the-next-30-years/
#.U5r6NRVX-uY>.
the Next 30 Years?" Discover. N.p., 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 June 2014.
<http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2010/09/14/
lets-play-predict-the-future-where-is-science-going-over-the-next-30-years/
#.U5r6NRVX-uY>.
RBEJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014.
<http://www.rbej.com/content/4/S1/S3/
figure/F2>.
figure/F2>.
Medieval Christianity. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
June 2014.
https://medievalchristianityd.wikispaces.com/Penance.
https://medievalchristianityd.wikispaces.com/Penance.
Youtube. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=VHB37UtPbKo>.
watch?v=VHB37UtPbKo>.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you are saying about sharing being the key to success in curing diseases in the future. However I believe that before this can happen the western countries main influence will be on educating people on health care and how to properly provide it. It is impossible to share information effectively with people who do not have the base to understand what you are talking about. If the world is so focused on improving and growing health around the world, we as a country need to invest more money into making it sustainable. This in the end will also reduce costs that Western countries spend on just providing “band aid” health care for other countries and then will make it possible to share information between all countries effectively. As said in a recent Brown’s University posting “All the medications and supplies in the world won’t do patients much good if there aren’t doctors and nurses and paramedical staff and community health workers trained to use them.”(Adam Levine). As advanced as the Western country is, we need to use our resources and specifically education to help others around the world who are less fortunate. The push for global health is huge and if the global community is more involved then there will be a greater chance that somebody will find a cure. This of course is not an overnight cure but I believe we need to look more into the future of healthcare and realize that as you said, building on each others ideas is way more effective than leaving every man or country for themselves.
After reading this I am very curious about the topic because I never noticed before how much the medical field impacts our society. If you really look at it our society cares so much about taking care of others and trying to give them the best life possible. When it comes to illness and disease the west seems to take this very seriously putting a lot of money and effort into finding a cure. Many people give to charity or do charitable bikes and runs because we can all admit that disease has impacted us all in one way or another. For me it’s the fact that my grandmother was able to survive 2 types of cancer both breast and ovarian cancer due to modern medicine. If we hadn't of put so much research into curing and at least helping treat illnesses such as cancer I would have never met my grandmother. She had cancer before I was born and thanks to the impact of modern medicine, I was able to grow close with her and develop an amazing bond. In recent years she went to do genome testing I think it’s called to see if she has the BRCA gene. The BRCA gene is a mutation that puts the person at a higher risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer. Unfortunately my grandmother does have this gene and it is very likely that it has been passed down to my mother and I as well. There is some good that comes out of this however because we now know that we may have higher risk of developing cancer, giving us a better chance of preventing it. That way now we can take extra measures and be screened at a younger age for these cancers and hopefully if they ever do develop catch them early. This seems amazing to me because without the advance in medicine I wouldn't be as aware of what's going on in my body and how to protect myself. Thanks to the advancement in science I now have a better of preventing it and giving my mother and I a better chance at life. Altogether what I am trying to say is that I agree with Frances that modern medicine/science is an amazing thing cause not only will it save people today but also save others in the future. I agree that it will flourish in the west because in the end everyone wants to help each other live a long and happy life. That scientists will keep adding on and working together to try to give everyone a happy and healthy life. This truly just amazes me how far technology has come in recent years and I believe that this generation and future generations, will have a better chance at life. The medical and science fields are definitely an important asset to the western world and potentially the rest as well.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that medicine in the West will continue to “flourish and grow in the hands of new scientists” but the notion that we will be able to so simply “share our medicine and ways with the rest of the world” and as a result “poorer countries will no longer have to worry about something as simple as health care” is a very naïve assumption.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare is not simply a commodity that may be shared, and as such effectively negates the notion that it may be so easily transferred from developed nations to developing nations. The conditions present in developing nations serve as the principle opposition to the notion that health care may be so easily implemented into society. Firstly, educated professionals in the fields of health care are required in order to facilitate health care services, and in developing nations the majority of individuals often don’t have access to education as a result of the lack of the social institutions implemented in society. Developing nations are often politically unstable, and economically vulnerable, and as a result don’t have the means to implement these social institutions. Moreover, there is a lack of access to education as a result, of the economic disparity present in developing nations. Children are viewed as an additional source of income, and thus are put to work at young ages, with little regard for education. When people are starving, education seems to serve a pretty futile purpose. Therefore without qualified, educated personnel, how will such health care services be provided? Similarly, in developing nations with such rural communities how will hospitals and health care centers be built, without the infrastructure to support it? Developing nations electricity is sporadic and therefore unreliable, thereby posing a challenge to the resources needed to facilitate health care services, such as light required for surgery, electricity required to fuel complex machinery in hospitals, etc. These hospitals cannot purely run off of generators, as that is an expensive and unsustainable solution. Additionally, due to the rural topography of developing nations, building enough hospitals so that the people of these communities have access to hospitals and areas of health care would be overly challenging.
In addition to not having the education, or infrastructure to implement such medical institutions, developing nations also do not maintain the governmental funds to support such services. Developing nations are often politically unstable, and undergoing internal conflicts, and thus their primary funds are not allocated towards development projects such as hospitals and medical research buildings, but rather to the immediate alleviation of suffering. Furthermore, developing nations often have corrupt authoritarian rulers that misuse funds for private gain. The implementation of health care institutions would require excessive funding to employ the health care workers, supply all the medical resources, and numerous other expenditures: funding that developing nations do not have. Consider this: 1.1 billion people in developing countries lack access to clean water (Shah, 2013), so how may they be expected to build health care institutions, fund them, supply them with resources, and have the sick pay to go use these health care services, when they can’t even obtain clean water to drink? Health care services exacerbate poverty, as individuals in developing nations can’t afford such services. Additionally, poverty exacerbates the fragility of health care services in developing nations, as the individuals in developing nations can’t afford health care services: thus defeating the purpose of instituting them. There are more important development objectives that first need to be addressed such as promoting economic and political instability, infrastructure, and access to fundamental resources in developing nations, before even questioning the the problem of global health care, so that when the time comes where it is a reasonable objective to implement such institutions and services, the will be sustainable in the long-term. It is a severely deluded notion to say that “poorer countries will no longer have to worry about something so simple as health care” for as illustrated above, health care is not a simple matter in developing nations, but rather a severely deep-rooted problem of a complex nature, exacerbated by the political, social and economic conditions of developing nations.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, to imply that the act of instituting available, sustainable healthcare in developing nations, disregarding the obvious impediments to such an act, is the first step towards becoming developed, is an exceedingly ignorant assumption. Yes providing health care is an imperative step in promoting development within a country, but there are far more important objectives that take need to be achieved in order for such institutions to be sustainable. Providing health care is of no significance if it cannot be sustained in the long term. There are more important matters in developing nations that need to be addressed first, so that when the time comes that health care institutions may be developed, they will be sustainable in the long run.
Ultimately, I do agree that medicine will continue to “grow and flourish in” western society as we have the means to promote such objectives, but we will not be able to share this with developing nations until they have political, social and economic stability, thereby allowing for, when the time comes, health care institutions to be sustainable, and aid in the development process instead of strain it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to pick a topic that you are interested in, and relates to your future.
ReplyDeleteI loved the hook at the beginning Frances. I just wish the post would have continued down this path. I found there was too much ancient history, not enough from the time period of this course, and the future prediction aspect was more "let's hope for the best - things will continue to be good" and not really predictions about the impact and how it will work.
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