STEM STORIES Medicine FROM HIPPOCRATES TO JONAS SALK Jessie Alkire checkerboard library AN Imprint of abdo publishing abdopublishing.com
Medicine About All Have you been to the doctor lately Did the doctor ask any questions or run any tests Did she ask about your symptoms and look into your throat or ears Medicine is the science of healing It is the diagnosis treatment and prevention of diseases It also focuses on the promotion of health But medicine didn’t always focus on these areas Medicine has a history that goes back to prehistoric times Back then people didn’t know what caused diseases They believed gods or spirits caused people to get sick Scientific knowledge increased very slowly over hundreds of years
Medical advancements started occurring more quickly in the late 1800s Scientists discovered new treatments such as antibiotics and vaccines They also invented x-ray machines and other tools that helped doctors treat patients Today’s scientists and doctors continue to develop new drugs instruments and medical procedures Diseases that carried a death sentence just decades ago are now treatable But scientists think we can push further and find better treatments or even cures for many diseases Teamwork is important in the medical field Doctors nurses and other hospital staff work together to provide the best care for patients
