Evolution of Medicine: Over the Years...

HEYO people! :D

Today, let's explore the development of medicine over the years. Specialists say medicine has gone through three major stages.


The First stage: This was the stage ridden with superstition, witchcraft and tattletales. There was also no systematic way of finding new therapies. No uniform comprehensible Scientific method. Remedies that worked were closely guarded and were only even offered to the wealthy patients(!!!)

Estimated Life Expectancy: 18-20 years

Important Discoveries: Medicinal herbs discovered during this time could be counted with one hand, two of which were aspirin and morphine.

The Second stage: This was the time of World War I. The coming of germ theory and better sanitation and hygiene. Due to the deaths of many in the European battlefields, real results and reproducible experiments became imperative. The doctors started fighting for legitimacy and published many papers in medical journals.

Estimated Life Expectancy: 49 years

Important discovereis: Advances in antibiotics and life-expectancy increasing vaccines so as for people to live to 70 years old.


The Third Stage: This was when medicine took a turn and morphed into something larger than life. The merger of physics and medicine- reduction of medicine into atoms and molecules, genes and cells. This historic transformation began in the 1940s, when one of the founders of the quantum theory-Erwin Schrodinger- wrote a book that rejected the ideals of mystery and unseen forces animating life and suggesting the theory of there being a code to life. Yes, the beginnings of DNA research.

Estimated Life Expectancy: over 70 years :D

Important Discoveries:
- 1953. Geneticist James Watson and Physicist Francis Crick unlocked the structure of the DNA-the double helix. Also, they discovered that it contains a sequence of 3 billion nucleic acids, called (yeah you know it) Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine, which carry the code.

*FUN FACT: A single strand of DNA stretches 6 feet long!*

- 2003. Human Genome Project completion, which is truly a milestone in medicine advancements. It's basically a massive, crash program to sequence all the genes of the human body. To find out more, check out the post about The Human Genome Project on our blog! It is expected that eventually, everyone in the world will have his/her personalized genome sequence-the secrets of her life and inheritance- available on CD-ROM!

That is all for now! Look out for more medicine related stuff in the future! We might even have an article about the future of medicine! If you're interested in further reading, have a look at this cool website (umm i don't know how cool it is but it is extremely thorough!)

CIAO! :)

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