Medicine
Medicine is
the science and
practice of the diagnosis, treatment,
and prevention of disease.
Medicine encompasses a variety of health
care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by
the prevention and treatment of illness.
Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics,
and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and
disease, typically through pharmaceuticals or surgery, but
also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external
splints and traction, medical
devices, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst others.[1]
Medicine has
existed for thousands of years, during most of which it was an art (an area of
skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to the religious and philosophical beliefs
of local culture. For example, a medicine
manwould apply herbs
and say prayers for
healing, or an ancient philosopher and physician would
apply bloodlettingaccording
to the theories of humorism.
In recent centuries, since the advent of modern science, most medicine has
become a combination of art and science (both basic and applied,
under the umbrella of medical science). While
stitching technique for sutures is
an art learned through practice, the knowledge of what happens at the cellular and molecular level in the tissues being
stitched arises through science.
Prescientific
forms of medicine are now known as traditional medicine and folk
medicine. They remain commonly used with or instead of scientific medicine
and are thus called alternative medicine. For example, evidence on
the effectiveness of acupuncture is "variable and inconsistent"
for any condition,[2] but
is generally safe when done by an appropriately trained practitioner.[3] In
contrast, treatments outside the bounds of safety and efficacy are termed quackery.