Medical is the science and art of healing. The practice of medicine is guided by ethical principles, and regulated in some countries by law and professional bodies. Medical practitioners are typically required to undergo extensive training and must be licensed or registered.
Modern medicine utilizes a wide range of therapies and diagnostic procedures to prevent, diagnose and treat disease, illness and injury. Therapies include surgery, drug treatment and medical devices. Diagnostic procedures include imaging (x-rays, computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography, nuclear magnetic resonance tomography and angiography). Medical laboratory sciences are concerned with testing the chemical and physical properties of body fluids and tissues, including blood, urine, sweat and breath. Medical physics is concerned with the application of engineering principles to the field of medicine and includes such disciplines as medical atomic energy technology, radiological shielding and medical radiation protection.
Medicine is often divided into specialties, each with its own entrance examination and postgraduate training requirements. Some specialties are considered to be more prestigious than others.
In recent years, a number of significant advances have been made in medicine. One of the most exciting is gene therapy, which involves introducing healthy genes into cells to replace ones with damaged or defective genetic code. This has been shown to restore function in blindness, cystic fibrosis and heart disease. Other developments include 3D printing of organs, which may eliminate the need for animal testing in the future. Defibrillators, used to restore normal heart rhythm in the event of cardiac arrest, are also important lifesaving medical devices.
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