Most Important Intellectual Achievement in the History of Medicine - Essay Example

"Most important Intellectual Achievement in the History of Medicine" is a good example of a paper on infections. In an article published in 2013 in The Washington Post provocatively titled “Why are you not dead yet?” Laura Helmuth suggests that the most important difference between the world today and 150 years ago is not airplane flight, nuclear weapons, or the Internet but the human lifespan (Helmuth). This lifespan increase has come due to advances in medical sciences. The dramatic increase in life expectancy between 1900 and 2000 is shown in the chart below (New Internationalist).  

1. Understanding the cause of infectious diseases

                The major reason for the increase in lifespan has been the intellectual achievement of understanding the causes of Infectious diseases and the methods of their treatment. In early times, these diseases were attributed to supernatural forces, to bad air termed miasma, or grouped as “degenerative diseases” and accepted as part of the aging process. Epidemics of these diseases caused widespread human suffering and death. The work of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) and others helped establish that these diseases are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria and that these could be controlled and cured by the use of antibiotics (Ackerknecht, pp 176-179). The science of microbiology that developed from these early studies led to the discovery of vaccines to prevent Tuberculosis, Measles, Pneumonia, and Diphtheria which were the major causes of death, especially among young children. These diseases are no longer feared either by the medical professional or the laypeople. The intellectual achievement in understanding the cause of infectious diseases and their cure, in my perception, ranks as one of the most important intellectual achievements in the history of medicine.

              The dramatic improvement in healthcare is shown in the chart shown below from an article published in the 200th Anniversary issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. 

       The chart shows the ten leading causes of death in the US in 1900, including Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal Infections, and Diphtheria. The chart for 2010 shows the impact made by antibiotics on the management of these diseases. The medical profession has internalized the knowledge to diagnose these diseases at an early stage and to treat them with antibiotics. The general public also now has the awareness of these diseases and the methods of treatment (Jones, et al).  The Pharmaceutical industry estimates that each year, 548 million bacterial infection cases are successfully treated against 14 million deaths (Da Volterra).

             Figure 3 shows the major role vaccines have played in the control of infectious diseases.

             Smallpox and Polio have been eliminated from the world, and diphtheria, measles, and other diseases have been contained. These diseases were especially prevalent in young children.  Public education programs have ensured that parents are now aware of the importance of preventive vaccination to protect their children from these diseases (Helmuth).   

2. The confidence to deal with new infectious diseases

           An important illustration of this intellectual achievement is the confident manner in which the world dealt with the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003.

           The disease originated in the Guangdong province of China and within weeks had infected individuals in 37 countries around the world. The mortality rate from the disease rose to an alarming level of 14%. The media around the world wrote alarmist headlines of a new plague comparable with the 1918 influenza world pandemic that killed some 40 million people. There was initial uncertainty about the cause of the outbreak, the identity and nature of the pathogen, and the means by which the infection spread from one person to another. The symptoms of the disease such as fever, headache, and body ache were similar to the common cold or influenza which caused people to ignore the early symptoms or resort to self-medication. The World Health Organization quickly established a network of scientists from 11 countries who identified the pathogen as a new form of coronavirus. This team quickly determined that the disease spreads through physical contact and suggested the public health response of isolation and quarantine of infected people and reducing the risk of transmission through contact hygiene measures such as the use of masks and washing of hands. Travel restrictions were imposed on people with symptoms. The quick implementation of these measures halted the spread of the disease and within 3 months no new cases were reported. The total number of reported SARS infection cases were contained at only 8,448 and the number of deaths 774 (Smith). The handling of the SARS outbreak has helped validate a model for future response to such health threats based on international cooperation and quick communication.

3. This intellectual understanding comes with its own problems

                The intellectual achievement of understanding the causes of infectious diseases is now causing a new problem. There is widespread overuse of antibiotics both due to over-prescription by doctors and due to self-medication. This has caused the evolution of drug-resistant strains of bacteria which have been termed “superbugs” in popular literature. These could cause outbreaks like the SARS infection described above which may not find the quick solution that worked with SARS (Klein).

4. Conclusion

          Medical Science continues to come up with new findings to alleviate human suffering through disease and disability and to improve not just the lifespan but also the quality of life. However, the intellectual understanding of the causes of infectious diseases and their treatment ranks among the most important in the recent history of medicine. This understanding is being further extended by the new science of molecular biology that promises the development of medicines that can target disease at individual cell levels with antigens tailored for the specific ailment. These advances promise a continued increase of human lifespan and the maintenance of good health through that lifespan.