Medical literature

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Plates vi & vii of the Edwin Smith Papyrus at the Rare Book Room, New York Academy of Medicine
Plates vi & vii of the Edwin Smith Papyrus at the Rare Book Room, New York Academy of Medicine

Medical literature refers to articles in journals and texts in books devoted to the field of medicine.

Contemporary and historic views regarding diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of medical conditions have been documented for thousands of years. The Edwin Smith Papyrus is the first known medical treatise. Initially most described inflictions related to warfare. This was because war was the most important part of society and it was the most common way of contracting health problems.

Contents

Statuette of Imhotep in the Louvre
Statuette of Imhotep in the Louvre
Renowned 11th centuray Persian physician Avicenna, the author of The Canon of Medicine.
Renowned 11th centuray Persian physician Avicenna, the author of The Canon of Medicine.
Main articles: History of medicine, The Canon of Medicine, and Huangdi Neijing

Throughout history people have written about diseases, how human beings might contract them and what could be done to remedy it. Medicine ranged from folklore, withcraft to the current Evidence Based Medicine.[1][2][3] Among the most notable descriptions are texts from Egypt (Imhotep, Edwin Smith Papyrus, Ebers Papyrus, Kahun Gynecological Papyrus),[4] Persia (Rhazes, The Book of Healing), Greek (the Iliad and the Odyssey are the first source of Greek medical practise, Hippocratic Medicine),[5] China (Yellow Emperor)

Following Vesalius, Harvey, Pasteur, and others the medical community has changed the way it conducts research. After incorporating the scientific method medical literature has introduced the so-called peer review, and is currently divided into journals and textbooks.

Main article: Medical journal

These are publications in which the medical community shares information. Articles are commonly either original articles or reviews.

  1. Original articles describe randomized controlled trials which are submitted for peer review following the scientific method.
  2. Reviews are an overview of one particular topic in order to refresh

When looking for specific information in any journal one can use the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database. Examples of journals are:

After consensus has been reached it is incorporated in textbooks. There are textbooks on every medical specialty and they contain comprehensive discussion on all diseases and their diagnosis, therapy and prognosis. Examples are:

Most prominent journals and textbooks are currently available on-line or via CD-Rom.

  1. ^ Medicine in Ancient and Medieval Times
  2. ^ MEDICAL HISTORY ON THE INTERNET
  3. ^ Asclepion, a World Wide Web page devoted to the study of ancient medicine
  4. ^ Medicine in Ancient Egypt
  5. ^ Medicine in Ancient Greece
  6. ^ Cecil Textbook of Medicine
  7. ^ Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
  8. ^ Oxford Textbook of Medicine


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