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| I hate doctor visits because they change my schedule. But every once in a while, they are a necessary evil. Today is one of those days. |
Doctors - they've grown a lot over the years. They've been around since the village wise woman prescribed a variety of herbs to combat fevers and fight infections in wounds. The ancient Egyptians had physicians who actually studied anatomy and performed rudimentary surgery, and surgery was also practiced (with varying success) in India and in the New World among various tribes. Without anesthetic, surgery was highly uncomfortable, though.
Babylonian physicians actually wrote down prescriptions for their herbal and concocted medicines, and the ancient Chinese doctors began studying acupuncture and acupressure techniques to balance the chi of their patients. At least that's one technique that carried through to modern times with great success.
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| Hippocrates' Oath is still recited by many physicians when they graduate or during their studies. |
The Greeks had Hippocrates who compiled and consolidated many medical texts into a single reference and composed the Oath that still bears his name. The Hippocratic Oath basically had the speaker swear by several healing gods that the doctor would uphold certain ethical standards including medical confidentiality and non-maleficence. In other words - to do no harm. The oath has been bent by some and broken by others, but it's still remembered and recited today.
In the Middle East, hospitals were established in the 9th century. Here, trained individuals sewed up wounds, set broken bones, and performed rudimentary surgery. People were beginning to survive physicians and their care. It's a good thing, because that was a bloody time with a lot of warfare.
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| The Plague Doctor image is familiar to those of us who wander the fields of local Renaissance Festivals. There is usually at least one character who will be dressed in the beaked outfit of the physicians who walked the streets of the cities affected by the Black Death. The bird beak mask was to help with the stench of the unwashed sick bodies as well as the multitudes of the dead. |
Twelfth century Italy began the first medical schools, turning out students who were expected to apply their hard-won knowledge to the betterment of their patients. Their success ratio was spotty, but they did have some successes.
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| Bloodletting was a common prescription in medieval times, and actually is still practiced in certain instances today. Generally, though, it didn't really accomplish a lot. |
In the 1800's, medical study and knowledge grew exponentially as science expanded into fields such as chemistry, psychology and immunology. That laid the foundation for the modern physician who reaches for tools of chemical form as much as surgery. The field of medicine has become huge and vast, forcing doctors to specialize in various aspects of health, referring patients to other when needed. The modern clinic was born.
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| Today's health clinic addresses many aspects of health, not just the physical. They buildings are welcoming, and the facilities and physicians are multi-disciplined. If one cannot help you, you'll be referred to a different care giver in the same location. |
Is today's clinic an improvement over walking down the dirt road to visit the local healer and get some herbs and advice from her? In some ways, absolutely. We're fighting battles with disease today that were certain death sentences no more than twenty years ago. But we're also bankrupting the citizenry with the costs of quality medical care - it certainly isn't inexpensive!
So today I'll take advantage of the ridiculous insurance premiums that I pay and see my internist for about 30 minutes, then go downstairs to donate blood to the vampires, and finally I'll be released to begin my very busy day. At least I'll be back in the pool tomorrow, and I'll be back on schedule again also. Happy Wednesday to all!
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