Modern medicine is divided into many fields. The outpatient and inpatient departments of hospitals belong to "clinical medicine", which is further divided into surgery that involves surgical intervention and internal medicine that does not. Surgery is further divided into cardiothoracic surgery, abdominal surgery... Abdominal surgery can also be divided into hepatobiliary surgery, anal and intestinal surgery... No wonder some people complain that when they go to Western hospitals, they feel like Liu Lao entering the Grand View Garden, unable to orient themselves. In fact, doctors in hospitals are like actors on stage, while many others work behind the scenes. For example, some study human anatomy, which belongs to basic medicine and is a must-learn subject for every doctor. If a doctor doesn't understand human anatomy, they won't be able to operate on patients. Others study how to prevent diseases, which belongs to preventive medicine. In fact, this has long been emphasized by our ancestors. The saying "A good doctor treats diseases before they occur" means that a good doctor doesn't just treat people after they get sick, but prevents diseases before they happen. There are also doctors who study more specialized fields, such as the effects of weightlessness on astronauts and how Antarctic expedition members adapt to polar climates and environments, which belongs to "specialty medicine"... In short, medicine is about solving people's health problems.
How did medicine come about? It is said that 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, people believed that diseases were "punishment from the gods" and "evil spirits at work", so they used "rituals to worship gods" and "incantations to exorcise demons" to treat diseases. Egyptian priests were doctors, and in ancient China, such people were called "shamans". Although these so-called doctors couldn't really cure people's diseases, people still discovered some effective treatment methods through thousands of years of practice. For example, the legend of "Fuxi creating nine needles" says that about 5,000 years ago, Chinese ancestors used stone or bone needles and knives to relieve pain, and acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine evolved from this; "Shennong tasting 100 herbs" refers to the fact that ancient people found that some plants were poisonous, some weren't, and some had special effects on the human body when they were looking for food. These experiences and discoveries gradually accumulated, forming the origin of medicine. The "Shennong's Classic of Herbal Medicine" recorded 365 kinds of medicines. More than 2,000 years ago, the first medical book in China, the "Huangdi Neijing", was also a summary of thousands of years of experience. There were many famous doctors in ancient China, such as Bian Que, a doctor in the Warring States period, who advocated using different treatment methods according to different patients and situations; Zhang Zhongjing, who insisted on treating people based on their individual conditions; and Hua Tuo, who is well-known from the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Unfortunately, the "closed-door policy" of the Qing Dynasty led to a divide between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Modern medicine originated in the West. Therefore, when talking about modern medicine, we should mention Hippocrates, the founder of ancient Western medicine. He believed that doctors should not only "treat diseases", but also "treat people", which is often overlooked by modern doctors. There was a Roman doctor named Galen, who believed that to treat diseases, one must first understand the human body and emphasized the importance of anatomy and physiology. In the 16th century, the Renaissance in Europe broke through the shackles of feudal and religious thought that had lasted for thousands of years. Belgian physician Vesalius wrote "The Structure of the Human Body". In the 17th century, English physiologist Harvey discovered the circulation of blood. In the 19th century, the "cell" was discovered, and medical research entered the "cellular level". Later, anesthetics were discovered, and the importance of disinfection was recognized, which solved the major problem of surgery. In the 20th century, antibiotics were discovered to treat infectious diseases, and chemotherapy was used to treat cancer. In 1953, the "double helix structure" of DNA, the "genetic material" that enables humans to pass on their genes, was discovered, and medical research entered the "molecular level". The "Human Genome Project" initiated by the discovery of DNA has enabled people to understand and treat diseases at the genetic level, taking medical development to a brand-new stage.
What has medicine brought to humanity? It is said that 6,000 years ago, there were only 20 million people on Earth; after 5,000 years, this number increased to 400 million; and in the last 500 years, the population growth suddenly accelerated, now exceeding 7 billion.200 million. In the 1950s, the average lifespan of Chinese people was only 50 years, but by the early 21st century, it had exceeded 70 years. There are many reasons for the increase in population and the extension of lifespan, and medicine has played a significant role in this. In the 14th century, a terrifying disease swept across Europe, killing countless people, which was known as the "Black Death" (plague). In the 19th century, this terrifying disease recurred, with patients vomiting and diarrhea until death, which was called "cholera". Tuberculosis, which had plagued humanity for centuries, was once an incurable disease. Fortunately, French scientist Pasteur and German microbiologist Koch later discovered that these diseases were caused by bacteria. Coupled with the invention of sulfa drugs and antibiotics, which are the nemeses of bacteria, infectious diseases were brought under control. While bacterial diseases were controlled, viral diseases emerged. Nearly 100 million Chinese people are carriers of the hepatitis B virus. Fortunately, medical advances have enabled people to prevent it with vaccines and control it with medication. Looking at the Nobel Prizes over the past century, we can roughly understand humanity's medical achievements, as the annual awards recognize inventions and discoveries that benefit humanity: In 1901, Röntgen discovered X-rays, which now enable the detection of even peanut-sized tumors in the body. In 1923, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the discoverers of insulin; in 1924, the inventor of the electrocardiogram, which is still in use today, won the Nobel Prize. Subsequently, the inventors of sulfa drugs, penicillin, and streptomycin, which played a role in controlling infectious diseases, successively won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; the creator of the polio vaccine also received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; and the invention of the heart catheter for diagnosing coronary heart disease was also honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Entering the 21st century, biologists and medical scientists have begun to focus on new research fields. Why does a fertilized egg grow into a complete baby with a heart, lungs, head, and feet in just 10 months? Research on this most primitive stem cell suggests that the human body has tremendous adaptive and repairing capabilities. Medicine has brought so many benefits to humanity that it's no wonder that people used to say "living to 70 is rare in ancient times", while now living to 80 or 90 is "not uncommon".