Medicine in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
This period in the history of medicine is characterized by a mass of discoveries in the field of anatomy, pathological anatomy, and physiology. The circulatory system, respiration, functioning of the brain and spinal cord, in particular the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, as well as lymph flow are actively studied.
An important step in the development of medicine as a science is clinical teaching. Medicine is largely rid of mysticism; the teaching of spirits is no longer considered equal to evidence-based medicine. Although scientists of this time are not infallible, and make mistakes too, still the experienced, evidential approach prevails over fanciful inferences. Much of the credit for this goes to Giorgio Ballivi, an Italian physician and outstanding scientist of his time.
The first attempts are made to classify diseases, about which much information had already been obtained by that time – the most famous such work, an encyclopedia of medicine of the time, is B. de Sauvage’s Nosography.
Medicine in the nineteenth century
The nineteenth century can be called the time when medicine was fully formed as a science. There was no longer any place in medicine for mysticism, witchcraft, and ecclesiastical practices.
The knowledge accumulated and processed in the previous periods of history began to give practical results, expressed in the increase of life expectancy, the ability to resist epidemics, the victory over certain diseases, the reduction of infant mortality, which previously was terribly high.
The knowledge about the functioning of the human body already corresponds in many respects to modern ones, although the study of the nervous system and metabolic processes is actively continuing. Darwin’s theory of evolution, Mendel’s discovery of genetics, and the breakthrough in chemistry, thanks to which pharmacology is becoming a separate field, have had a great influence on medicine.
Equally important was the development of microbiology. The agents of many infectious diseases were identified (let’s not forget that until the beginning of the 20th century, infectious diseases were the main cause of death), which led to many practical discoveries, including aseptic and antiseptic. Cures for many of them were found. Most serious infections have also been defeated through the development of vaccination and sanitation. Knowledge of infections and their prevention, as well as the use of anesthesia, has improved survival rates in surgical procedures, providing a subsequent breakthrough in this area of medicine as well.
The Challenges of Time
As we can see, medicine as a science has come a long way, which has by no means been linear. But even mistakes, although costly, have ultimately served science – for example, chemistry, followed by pharmacology, evolved from alchemy, which had as its goal the search for immortality.
Nevertheless, it is too early to put an end to the development of medicine. Time has thrown up new challenges. Thanks to the increase in life expectancy, the structure of diseases has changed, and people began to fall ill with things that previously they simply did not live to see. But new challenges also mean new breakthroughs, new discoveries, and new achievements.