Biology vs. Sociology

1954 Words8 Pages
Biology vs. Sociology Western Medicine, or contemporary medicine, has roots that go as far back as the ancient world of Greece. The Greek physician Hippocrates, named the “father of medicine, laid the foundation for a rational approach to medicine. Hippocrates is credited with the introduction of the Hippocratic Oath for physicians, as well as started the categorization of illnesses as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic, which are still in use today. During the Middle Ages, Islamic medical pioneers closely studied the Greeks medical research and put much of it into practice. Hospitals, schools, and well stocked libraries and teaching halls were built, and during the period of the ninth to eleventh century, medical practice became highly respected as it flourished. While much of their practices would seem primitive and ineffective today, it is said that the Muslim world had well surpassed the Greeks in knowledge, especially in the field of toxicology. However, in the latter part of the Middle Ages, the Middle East, as well as Europe, were devastated by the Bubonic Plague, or better known as the Black Death. Much of this world started to reject the rational approach to medical thinking, and gradually turned its attention to depending upon more supernatural elements to diagnose and treat illness. It is not until around the 18th century that the west will start to develop what we know as modern medicine with the use of biomedical research. Biomedicine draws from a variety of disciplines such as anatomy, physiology, genetics, pathology, biology, and microbiology. It relies heavily upon industrially produced medications and a strict adherence to the formal scientific process. Due to its very rigorous and systemic approach to health, its practice is generally very safe, but can be mechanical in nature. When examining the morbidity and mortality in Africa,
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