Abstract

In this study we try to explore the history of treatment and prevention of disease in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on changing treatment and preventive measures since the colonial times. The research also analyzes many developments in the field of treatment and prevention of disease. Finally the research describes the advancement in the field of medicine in the twentieth and twenty first century.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF DISEASE CHANGED FROM COLONIAL TIMES UNTIL NOW?

Introduction

The history of medicine has been considered similar to the general history of civilization, where the treatment and prevention of disease have evolved to a great extent. At the time of American Revolution, majority of the soldiers were dying due to illness instead of dying of Combating. This remained the reality till World War I. Till then, the medical sciences were not advanced enough to reverse the situation. This phenomenon was not restricted to soldiers, but for general public as well. This led to a decrease in life expectancy in the western society. This issue was overcome as a result of advancement in the prevention and treatment of disease. The study discusses the ways in which prevention and treatment of disease has changed over the time.

Thesis Statement

The treatment and prevention of disease has evolved from the colonial times until now, with the discovery of treatment and prevention of common disease (example, penicillin and vaccines) to the complicated surgery (example, heart and kidney transplant).

Discussion and Analysis

Gaseous clouds were poisonous enough to wipe out thousands of soldiers in few minutes, not to forget the advanced technology and machine guns. Suddenly, humans became more capable of killing each other instead of plagues, scourges and various insects chasing us. It was in World War I that the Spanish flu emerged killing around 40 million people across the globe (Derber, Pp. 113).

The colonial physician has become the heart and was treated as importantly as a minister. He was a scholar and a gentleman. The best of the physicians were most of the time judged by their rhetoric expressions instead of their success.

Around this time, there were a number of competing theories emerged both in the colonies as well as Europe. These theories were extremely absurd as compared to today's standards and did not have any scientific merits. It looks like, science was considered as an art at that time, until a physician would study anatomy. Errors and trials were not taken seriously, whereas, in today's world, science is based upon trials and experimentation. This is known as empiricism, which means developing a theory and then testing it in the laboratory (Prof. Haller, Pp. 172). In the colonial times, empiricism was not liked by the physicians. He use to get stuck with the rigidity of his education and was never tested and questioned. Nonetheless, as there were no affiliations or organizations to implement any specific type of medical treatment in colonial time, the physicians had a free hand in choosing various therapies ...