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Medicine is a branch of health science concerned with restoring
and maintaining health. Broadly, it
is the practical science of preventing
and curing diseases. However, medicine
often refers more specifically to
matters dealt with by physicians and
surgeons.
Medicine is both an area of knowledge,
and the application of that knowledge
(by the medical profession and other
health professionals such as nurses).
The various specialized branches of
the science of medicine correspond
to equally specialized medical professions
dealing with particular organs or
diseases. The science of medicine
is the knowledge of body systems and
diseases, while the profession of
medicine refers to the social structure
of the group of people formally trained
to apply that knowledge to treat disease.
There are traditional and schools
of healing which are usually not considered
to be part of medicine in a strict
sense. The most highly developed systems
of medicine outside of the Western
or Hippocratic tradition are the Ayurvedic
school and traditional Chinese medicine.
The
delivery of modern health care depends,
not just on medical practitioners,
but on an expanding group of highly
trained professionals coming together
as an interdisciplinary team. A full
list is given on the health profession
page. Some examples include: nurses,
laboratory scientists, pharmacists,
physiotherapists, speech therapists,
occupational therapists, dietitians
and bioengineers.
The scope and sciences underpinning
human medicine overlap many other
fields. Dentistry and psychology,
while separate disciplines from medicine,
are sometimes also considered medical
fields. Physician assistants, nurse
practitioners and midwives treat patients
and prescribe medication in many legal
jurisdictions. Veterinary medicine
applies similar techniques to the
care of animals.
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