Medicine

History of Medicine
The first medicine included the use of plants,
animal parts, and minerals
After 750 CE, significant medical research
began
Modern scientific biomedical research began
Medication began to replace herbalism
Medicine as a Social Institution
Members of society view medicine as a source
of healing for both physical and mental
disorders
Members of the medical institution see
themselves responsible for promoting the health
of society
Physical Illness
Illness that interferes with a specific bodily
function such as movement, sensation,
coordination, or speech
Are usually treated with conventional treatments
Mental Illness
Illness that affects a person's mood, thinking, or
behavior
Symptoms and mental illnesses are constantly
changing with history and different societies
Treatments
Cures and treatment originally started with
techniques such as blood letting, exorcisms,
and trepanning
Nowadays, medical doctors focus on specific
illnesses, which makes treatment much more
efficient
Treatment includes both conventional and
alternative medicine
Conventional Medicine
Treatments that include biomedical and surgical
techniques
Includes the process of diagnosis, treatment,
and prevention of illnesses
Usually applies biomedical research and
sciences
Alternative Medicine
Healing methods not based on evidence
gathered with the scientific method
Treatments are usually therapies and making
lifestyle changes that aren't included in medical
schools
Examples include chiropractic and acupuncture
Functionalism and Medicine
Functionalism states that each individual aspect of a
society must all work together to create stability for the
whole of society
Talcott Parsons laid down the foundation of the
functionalism aspect of medicine
According to this perspective, for the whole society to
function, all members of a society to be healthy
enough to perform their roles
Criticism of Functionalism
The doctor is the gatekeeper because they are
given all the power and they're the ones who
determines a patient's situation
Members of a society might continue to perform
their roles and refuse to leave their positions
even when they are ill
Conflict Theory and Medicine
Conflict Theory is a sociological approach that
explains how growth in society is derived from
inequality and conflict.
Based on the work of Karl Marx and Max Weber
This perspective demonstrates how a society's health
and health care system is the result of a series of
conflicts within a society based on the many different
aspects of a society
Conflict Theory and Medicine
This view shows that medicine favors the rich
as they will have better access of health care
The poor, already having less access to health
care, are also more likely to become ill due to
poor diet and unhealthy living environment,
causing them to challenge the system
This view has lad to the study of many
important topics of health care
Conclusion
Members of a society are very dependent on its
medical care
Without the research and growth of medicine,
societies would not be able to function
Work Cited
Conventional vs Alternative Medicine Explained. Food Matters. 26 April
2014
Eliminating Health Dispartities. AMA. Web. 26 April 2014
Medicine. Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation. Web. 26 April 2014
Social Institutions: Medicine. Sparknotes. Sparknotes. Web. 26 April
2014
Talcott Parsons. About.com Sociology. Web. 26 April 2014
Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Medicine. OpenStax CNX. Web. 26
April 2014
The History of Mental Illness: From "Skull Drills" to "HappyPills.
RSS. Web. 26 April 2014
Timeline: Treatments for Mental Illness. PBS. PBS. Web. 26 April 2014