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Florida Heart CPR*
Medical History
1 hour
Objectives
By the end of the course the student will be able to:
A. Describe the history of medicine
B. Demonstrate knowledge of important names and dates of medical practitioners and
notable medical achievements.
C. Locate resources for further medical information
Primitive Medicine
Superstition is the belief that unexplainable phenomena are the result of
supernatural powers. It played a dominant role in primitive medicine, with
witch doctors selected for their ability to drive away evil spirits.
Drugs discovered in more primitive times.
Digitalis is from the foxglove plant.
Quinine is from the bark of the cinchona tree.
Atropine is derived from the belladonna plant.
Morphine is derived from opium from the poppy plant.
Early Medicine Concepts
The Greeks were the first to attempt to study objectively the human body.
Hippocrates is considered the "Father of Medicine."
Developed great skill as a diagnostician.
Established the "Oath of Hippocrates."
The foundation of the principles of medical ethics.
Romans established the principles of public health.
Their greatest single contribution was sanitation.
Surgery was practiced in the Roman Empire.
Galen was a Greek who worked and taught in Rome, and made great
advancements in anatomy and physiology.
Dark and Middle Ages
Medicine was practiced only in monasteries and convents.
The greatest contribution was the collection and translation of the works of
Greek and Roman physicians.
Sanitation was forgotten in this period and resulted in the spread of serious
communicable diseases.
The bubonic plague (the Black Death).
Florida Heart CPR*
Medical History
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The Renaissance Period
Universities and medical schools were founded, providing a formal
environment for research and instruction.
Previously existing beliefs were challenged, and exploration began on new
horizons of human understanding.
The printing press was invented, promoting a much more rapid dissemination
of information.
Stigma attached to dissection of the dead was overcome, allowing
advancement of knowledge in anatomy and physiology.
The Post-Renaissance Period
This period accumulated a tremendous body of technical facts.
Once the structure of the body was understood, the functions of the systems
could be studied.
William Harvey described the circulatory system and helped substantiate the
relationship between the structure and function of the internal organs.
The discovery of the microscope made possible the study of those life forms
not visible to the naked eye.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek developed the first microscope and identified
bacteria and other microorganisms.
The role of microorganisms in disease was not identified until the 19thCentury.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) author of the germ theory of disease worked with
wine fermentation and demonstrated that sterilization kills bacteria.
Pasteurization is the heating of food (solid or liquid) to halt fermentation and
prevent the growth of bacteria.
Robert Koch (1843-1910) discovered the bacillus that causes tuberculosis.
He developed laboratory procedures such as culture plates and dried, fixed,
stained slides to identify the tubercular bacillus.
Edward Jennet (1749-1823) discovered the vaccination method against
smallpox.
Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) facilitated the identification and classification of
organisms.
His techniques of staining bacteria and cells provided the means for
differential analysis.
Development of Surgery
A. John Hunter (1728-1793) Scottish surgeon, physiologist and biologist is
called "the father of surgery."
Developed surgical techniques.
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Medical History
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Joseph Lister (1827-1912) English surgeon established the relationship
between bacteria and infected surgical wounds and instituted surgical asepsis
techniques.
1. Used carbolic acid to spray operating rooms, surgical instruments and to
wash hands.
Dr. Crawford Long and Dr. William Morton developed the use of ether as a
general anesthesia.
Advancement of nursing laid the foundation for future complementary
medical professions.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) English nurse established the fundamental
principles for the practice of nursing and established St. Thomas Hospital.
Clara Barton established the American Red Cross in 1881.
Twentieth Century Achievements
William Konrad Roentgen (1845-1923) discovered x-rays in 1895.
Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium for the treatment of malignancies.
Development of natural and synthetic medications.
Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are continuously being discovered and
refined
Infection control, surgical asepsis, and surgical techniques have advanced
greatly during the twentieth century.
Modern Medical Practices
Specialization
Basic medical education.
The minimum education required to practice medicine includes 4 years of
college, 4 years of medical school, and 1 year of internship.
Licensure
State board examination.
Taken prior to completion of medical school.
License is issued after the internship experience.
Some states accept successful completion of the National Board Examination.
License is issued for the lifetime of the practitioner.
Is renewed periodically with payment of fee and in many states completion of
medical continuing education courses for category I or II credits.
Development of specialization
Single greatest factor was World War II.
Physicians in general practice were not sufficiently prepared to use all the
medical advancements at that time.
Specialty education
U.S. Army Medical Corps organized brief, intensive courses.
Florida Heart CPR*
Medical History
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Postgraduate study advanced this trend.
Specialization requires 3 to 6 years of additional study after internship which is
called a residency.
Specialty certification
Must complete residency training and specialty examination.
Awarded certificate of competency in the specialty.
Is commonly designated as a "Fellow."
Specialty Categories
Medicine
Treatment by physical or chemical means.
Surgery
Treatment by manual and operative procedures.
(3) May be classified as primary and consultative care.
Primary care is the provision of all basic diagnostic, preventive, and treatment
services for patients.
Internal medicine
Family practice
Gynecology
Pediatrics
License and certification renewal
Most states require proof of continuing education to renew a medical license.
Periodic examinations may also be required in the future.
The Transition of Medical Practice Styles
Organization form
Sole proprietorship
a. The physician has total authority and responsibility for all administrative
decisions of the practice.
Partnership
Is a legal relationship of two or more physicians involving responsibility of
each partner for the professional and financial actions of all of the partners.
Professional corporation
Is a legal entity that allows one or more physicians to form a professional
corporation, primarily for the potential legal and financial benefits.
Methods of Practice
Employer – Employee
A physician can choose to become an employee of another physician, which
allows the physician-employee the opportunity to practice medicine without
the responsibility of administrative duties or financial obligations.
Associate
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Medical History
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Relationships described as associate involve sharing of office space and
possibly employees without the legal relationship of a partnership or
corporation.
3. Group
Involves the affiliation of three or more professionals of the same or different
specialties to share income, expenses, facilities, equipment, and personnel for
both professional and business purposes.
Institutional
Physicians may choose to work in a residential or ambulatory care facility as
an employee.
Institutional settings include hospitals, skilled or extended care facilities, public
health facilities, clinics, HMOs, and industrial or educational institutions.
Medical Associations
General Medical Associations
Local medical societies
State medical associations
National medical associations
American Medical Association
Specialty associations
Serves the specific needs or interests of a physician and usually relates to the
physician’s medical specialty.
Florida Heart CPR*
Medical History
6
Florida Heart CPR*
Medical History Assessment
1. The “Father of Medicine” is considered to be:
a. Socrates
b. Hippocrates
c. Aristotle
d. Plato
2. In the Renaissance Period
a. Medicine was practiced only in monasteries and convents.
b. Romans established the principles of public health.
c. The stigma attached to dissection of the dead was overcome, allowing
advancement of knowledge in anatomy and physiology.
d. Anton van Leeuwenhoek developed the first microscope and identified
bacteria and other microorganisms.
3. This person was an English nurse who established the fundamental principles for
the practice of nursing and established St. Thomas Hospital.
a. Clara Barton
b. Florence Nightingale
c. Pierre Curie
d. Louis Pasteur
4. In this form of practice, the physician has total authority and responsibility for all
administrative decisions of the practice.
a. Professional corporation
b. Sole proprietorship
c. Private practice
d. Partnership
5. The single greatest factor of the development of specialization was World War II.
a. True
b. False
Florida Heart CPR*
Medical History