Our World in MedicineOne of the most important factors in people's lives is the increasing information, use and knowledge of medicine. Medicine is a science used by nations around the world. It is a science because it is based on knowledge acquired through careful study and experimentation. Medicine is also an art form because it depends on the skill with which doctors and other medical workers apply their knowledge when caring for patients.1Medicine is one of the most respected professions. The two important goals of medicine are to save lives and relieve suffering, which is why it is so respected. But the medical field is not open to anyone who wants to help. It takes many years of college and medical school to even obtain a license to work in the medical field.2 Although some doctors are more prominent than others, almost all are practicing. call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Because they have to apply themselves to their work at all times, they receive very good salaries. Human beings have suffered from disease since they first appeared on Earth about two and a half million years ago. During most of this time, they knew little about how the human body worked or the causes of disease. But medicine has gone through many stages throughout history. In prehistoric times, people believed that angry gods or evil spirits caused illness. To heal the sick, it was necessary to appease the gods or chase evil spirits from the body. Over time, this task became the province of early “doctors.”3 The first known surgical treatment was an operation called trepanation. Trephining involved using a stone instrument to drill a hole in a patient's skull. Scientists have found fossils of these skulls dating back 10,000 years. Prehistoric people probably also discovered that many plants could be used as medicines. For example, the use of willow bark for pain relief probably dates back thousands of years.4 Today, scientists know that willow bark contains the important ingredients that go into making pain. 'aspirin. In the Middle East, the Egyptians began to make significant medical advances. Around 2500 BC, Egyptian doctors began to specialize. Some doctors only treated diseases of the eyes or teeth. Others specialized in internal diseases. Egyptian surgeons produced a manual explaining how to treat dislocated or fractured bones, as well as tumors, ulcers, and wounds.5 Ancient Greek civilization was at its peak during the 400s BC. Throughout this period, the sick flocked to temples dedicated to the Greeks.