Fields of Medical Practice

1
Fields of Medical Practice

• Chapter 3

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• cardi/o heart cardiology
• chir/o hand chiropractic
• crin/o to secrete endocrinology

3
Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• dent/i teeth dentist
• dermat/o skin dermatology
• enter/o small gastroenterology intestine

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• esthesi/o sensation anesthesiology
• gastr/ stomach gastroenterology
• gen/o origin/ gene production

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• ger/o old age geriatric
• gynec/o woman gynecology
• hemat/o blood hematology

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• immun/o safe immunology
• laryng/o voicebox otolaryngology
• nephr/o kidney nephrology

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Combining Forms for Fields of Medical Practice

• neur/o nerve neurologist
• obstetr/o midwife obstetric
• onc/o tumor oncology

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• ophthalm/o eye ophthalmology
• opt/o eye optometry
• orth/o straight, orthopedics normal, or correct

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• ot/o ear otolaryngologist
• path/o disease pathology
• ped/o child or foot pediatrics orthopedics

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Combining Forms forFields of Medical Practice

• physi/o physical physiatrist
• plas/o formation plastic surgery
• pod/o foot podiatry

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Combining Forms for Fields of Medical Practice

• psych/o mind psychiatry
• radio x-ray radiology
• vascul/o vessel vascular

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The Evolution of Medicine

• Todays practice of medicine evolved from customs
  of ancient times
• Care for the patient was often given by priests
  who performed rituals to give homage to mythical
  gods to appease them in order to rid the body of
  disease
• Hippocrates Greek physician in 400 B.C.
• Known as the Father of Medicine
• Wrote the Hippocratic Oath
• First to separate medicine from myth and write
  terms

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Hospitals

• Latin term meaning guest house
• Early hospitals run by religious orders
• Romans had military hospitals
• In the 19th century, hospitals became centers for
  treating all classes of society and operated for
  both profit and non-profit

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The Physician

• Greek term meaning natural
• The term physician is interchangeable with the
  term medical doctor
• The doctor of medicine (M.D.) degree is earned by
  successfully completing medical school
• The doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is
  similar to an M.D. but with an emphasis on the
  role of musculoskeletal system maintaining
  function and balance in the body.

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American Board of Medical Specialists

• Established twenty-four (24) individual physician
  specialty boards specifying standards for
  training, testing and monitoring
• After a physician completes specialty training
  and passes a specified board examination, he/she
  is designated as board certified and referred
  to as a diplomate

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The Caduceus Symbols
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The Caduceus

• Staff of Mercury
• Two serpents twined around staff
• Emblem in Greek mythology
• Serpent
• Symbol of Wisdom
• Object of Worship
• Medical symbol of healing because of its long
  life, annual shedding of skin suggesting renewal
  of youth/health, and keen eyesight

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The Caduceus
(continued)

• Rod of Aesculapius
• Earliest caduceus
• Single serpent twining around a stick or rod
• Aesculapius god of medicine

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Other Fields of Medical Practice

• Medial specialists who are licensed but do not
  hold an M.D. or O.D. degree
• D.C. (doctor of chiropractic medicine)
• D.D.S. (doctor of dental surgery)
• D.P.M. (doctor of podiatric medicine)
• O.D. (doctor of optometry)
• Ph.D. (doctor of philosophy)