Medicine

As a career
 Medicine

The rod of Asclepius, symbol of medicine.

Medicine is the science and "art" of maintaining and/or restoring human health through the
study, diagnosis, and treatment of patients.

History of Medicine
Medicine has been around since the dawn of mankind in one form or another. People have
always gotten sick or injured and there has always been attempts to treat them. The earliest form of
medicine was using plants and animal parts to create remedies. Some of these were very effective
and are still used today. Each tribe would know about the healing properties of plants in their area
and would have built up knowledge that was passed from generation to generation.

Ancient Civilizations
Advancements in medicine were made in ancient Egypt, China, Persia and India around
3000BC. These included the development of basic surgical tools, some knowledge about the causes
of different diseases.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans also advanced medical knowledge a lot. Hippocrates is one
of the most famous Ancient Greeks, he is known as 'The Father of Medicine'. His oath is used by
doctors worldwide today to swear that they will use their medical training ethically. Hippocrates
was one of the first to separate religion and medicine. Until then, incantations and religious rituals
were used to cure illness which was thought to be caused by evil spirits. He studied anatomy, but
his findings were very inaccurate because autopsies were forbidden in Ancient Greece which meant
he could only speculate as to the inner workings of the human body.
 Renaissance
Medicine stayed roughly the same in Europe until the Renaissance.
As part of developments in all areas of science and art, medical practise
was vastly improved. For example, Leonardo da Vinci studied the human
body by dissecting corpses. His famous notebooks contain many sketches
of bones, muscles and ligaments.
Although many advancements were made in anatomy and
understanding of the causes of disease, not many cures were invented.
There were few drugs available at the time, opium was one of the more
effective ones they had.

Modern Medicine
In the 19th Century, many improvements were made to laboratory
techniques and instruments, thereby improving knowledge of chemistry in The Vitruvian Man by
relation to curing disease. Surgeons and doctors began to realise the Leonardo da Vinci
importance of hygiene and so they started to wash hands before dealing with patients. This led to a
much higher recovery rate because many patients had died of infection from lack of hygienic
hospitals.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published 'The Origin of the Species', a book that laid out the
theory of evolution. At the same time Gregor Mendel, was studying hereditary traits in plants and
discovered the foundation of what would become genetics. Later, in 1953, James Watson and
Francis Crick discovered DNA. Genetics was to become an important area of research, as many
diseases could be diagnosed early by studying a person's genes.
In 1880, Louis Pasteur created a vaccine against rabies.

The double helix of DNA

 Careers
There are many different careers in medicine available, covering a wide range of expertise.
In this project, I will focus on General Practitioners, Surgeons, Pharmacists and Psychiatrists.
Medicine is a very rewarding career and is generally well paid, which makes it very attractive. To
get into a Medicine course in a university in Ireland, you need between 570 and 585 points on your
Leaving Certificate depending on where you go.
Medicine is a five year-long course. It covers the practise of medicine in general, giving a
broad knowledge of all specialities. You also must spend a year in a hospital as an internship to
learn how to work in a hospital environment. After that you can study the particular field of
medicine you are interested in.

General Practitioner
A General Practitioner (or GP) is a person who provides everyday care for people. They
outside of hospitals; in clinics usually located in a neighbourhood. A GP is the first person a patient
would see if they were feeling ill and they follow the treatment of patients.

Surgeon
A Surgeon is a doctor who deals with treatment that
involves cutting the body. Dentists and veterinarians are types of
surgeons. Specialities include brain surgeons, cardiac surgeons and
eye surgeons.
For example, the training route in the Royal College of
Surgeons Ireland starts off with the one year internship after
completing your medical degree. You then undergo two years of A scalpel, common surgical
basic surgical training which gives you a certificate of completion tool.
of that training. After that you can either do four years in a
residency training program or go straight into six years of higher surgical training. When you have
completed that you can be appointed to consultant surgeon. Of course, you can start working as a
surgeon before you have completed the 18 years of studies!

Illustration: The RCSI's

flowchart of surgical training
 Pharmacy
A pharmacist is a medical professional who deals with drugs.
They compound and dispense medication as well as advising patients
and reviewing drugs for safety. Pharmacy is a highly skilled career
which demands care and attention to the job at hand.
Pharmacy in Trinity College Dublin is a four year course,
requiring 560 points on the Leaving Certificate. The course covers
chemistry (and pharmaceutical chemistry), biology (and
microbiology), physiology and biochemistry. To become a pharmacist,
one must then complete one year training with a tutor-pharmacist and
then pass The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland License Exam.
Green cross. Pharmacy
symbol

Psychiatry
Psychiatry is a slightly different area of medicine,
because it deals with treating mental illnesses through
means other than drugs or surgery (although psychiatric
drugs are used). Psychiatrists diagnose patients by
observing behaviour, talking to them, giving them
intelligence/personality tests or brain scans. Treatment can
consist of counselling, change of lifestyle, psychiatric
drugs or (with much controversy) electroshock therapy.
In order to become a psychiatrist, an honours
psychology degree is required. Completion of a
recognised postgraduate training programme in clinical
psychology is then necessary. To get a place on such a Couch used by famous psychiatrist
programme you should do further research or studies Sigmund Freud
relevant to psychiatry.
Some areas of psychiatry are under much controversy. It was commonplace to lock up
mentally ill people in 'lunatic asylums' well into the 19th century. In some poorer nations of the
world, psychiatric hospitals are very poorly run, bringing up questions regarding human rights.
Electroshock therapy, although effective in treating severe cases of depression, is criticised as
causing sever memory loss side effects.

Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a famous psychiatrist who pioneered the
techniques of psychoanalysis. He popularised notions such as Freudian slips and
dream symbolism. He believed the subconscious mind played an important role in
our behaviour. Before he came along, it was believed that you could control all of
your thoughts. Freud suggested that repressed memories and thoughts were pushed
out of one's mind and into one's subconscious, altering their behaviour and
possibly causing problems.

Sigmund Freud
 Conclusion
I think there are many good career options available in the field of medicine and that each of
them is rewarding because it helps improve the lives of others. Medicine is a very study intensive
occupation which demands many years of commitment in order to succeed. I might consider a
career in medical research as an option, pharmaceutical drug development for example, though it
wouldn't be my first choice. I am interested in lines of work other than medicine and would find
them more stimulating. I would regard medicine as a very respectable line of work.