When did modern medicine begin?

Question

Trying to figure out what time period developed "modern medicine"

Thanks for any help

Answer 1

Though many people here cite ancient doctors, I'd say medicine as we know it today began with later developments, especially the pathogen theory of disease, which supplanted earlier beliefs about body "humours". Ancient and medieval doctors believed all maladies derived from an unbalance in 4 substances of the body, called humours. I don't know for sure when this transition occurred, but I'd say it roughly dates from the time of the first vaccine, for small pox, in the late 1700's.

Answer 2

Modern Medicine began with the Greek doctor named Hippocrates. His prime directive -- "First, do no harm". Once physicians were more concern with the state of the patient's body, once the religious leaders lost credibility as healers, modern medicine had a chance to begin.

Answer 3

There have been many breakthroughs over the centuries which have contributed to the discipline that we call modern medicine. A number of these have been mentioned in earlier responses to your question.

One often forgotten source of such medical breakthroughs was Arabic medicine that flourished in the Muslim empire which extended from Persia to Spain in the 9th to 12th centuries CE.

"By their relations with the further East, the Arabs became acquainted with valuable new remedies which have held their ground till modern times; and their skill in chemistry enables them to prepare new chemical remedies, and form many combinations of those already in use. They produced the first pharmacopoeia, and established the first apothecaries’ shops. Many of the names and many forms of medicines now used, and in fact the general outline of modern pharmacy, except so far as modified by modern chemistry, started with the Arabs."
-- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 10th edition

"The greatest contribution of Arabian medicine was in chemistry and in the knowledge and preparation of medicines. The chemists of that time were alchemists, and their pursuit was mainly a search for the philosopher's stone, which supposedly would turn common metals into gold. In the course of their experiments, however, numerous substances were named and characterized, and some were found to have medicinal value. Many drugs now in use are of Arab origin, as are such processes as distillation and sublimation."
-- Encyclopaedia Britannica, current edition

Answer 4

I am a nurse and when I was in school we learned that modern medicine originated in Egypt in what was called the post flood era. They used things such as anestesia and surgery. I tried to get some info on line for you. I found a website...www.giveshare.org/Health/medicinehistory/chapter4.html Good Luck!!!!!

Answer 5

During the Crimean War (1853-56), British nurse Florence Nightingale applied statistics to health care of wounded soldiers and found the causes of their high mortality.

This was the earliest example of successful large-scale health care improvement, and a real turning-point in medical history.

Also, we now have number-crunchers to thank for our co-payments (which reduce medical consumption and short-term costs, enhancing the profit margin and stock prices of the HMOs) and long voice mail wait times.

"Lady with the lamp," indeed!

Answer 6

The classic medical treatise is Galen of the first century C.E.
Later, in the 16th century, Sir William Harvey pioneered surgery.
Then came the microscope. And, in 1890 X-rays; and in
1897 came aspirin; in 1940 came antibiotics; in 1965
came heart transplantation, in the 1990s came
laproscopic, or minimally invasive surgery.
And let us not forget 1965, Medicare.

Mark K.

Answer 7

different medication appeared different times.
for example:
vaccines, antibiotics- 18th century