Medicine is one of the most technologically intensive of all the sciences. It demands incredible theoretical, practical, and technological expertise. When you consider that a couple of thousand years ago, practices such as trepanning (drilling a hole in the skull to release evil spirits) were common, and that the common belief that the uterus moved around the body seeking sperm like some kind of weird truffle pig, we really can start to appreciate that we live in an age of medical technological marvel.
From the facilitation of education, like the ability to study RN to FNP bridge programs online rather than exclusively on campus, to the development of life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy and various surgeries, the impact of technology becomes clear. Today, we’re going to examine some absolute marvels of medical technology, the history behind them, and how they’ve impacted the medical field and medical professionals’ ability to care for their patients.
Ancient Technology
Although we briefly discussed the archaic and the odd through trepanning and the wandering uterus, it may surprise you to learn that some ancient medical techniques and technology were actually pretty on the money.
For example, ancient cultures all over the world have relied on the environment to provide treatment for pain, injuries, and ailments; and though much of this herblore was the mere superstition of underdeveloped peoples, an almost equal amount was the basis of the discovery and synthesis of modern medicines.
Some treatments from this day and age were so effective that they’ve remained largely unchanged. Honey, for example, was used by several major cultures as a form of primitive medicine for many ailments. Today, we can still find honey-based remedies to ease the discomfort of colds, flus, and sore throats. The same is true of tea and eucalyptus.
Surgeries
Far from the body-horror subject matter of the past, modern surgeries are elegant, efficient, and most comfortingly, relatively painless. Anesthesia wasn’t commonly used until the mid 1800’s. There are many examples of the impact that modern surgery technology and understanding have had, but perhaps no greater example of this impact exists than in the treatment of bladder stones.
Pre the 18th century, the treatment for bladder stones (crystallised masses of urinary minerals) was a brutal and excruciating surgery, involving an incision beneath the genitals, cutting into the bladder, and removing the mass with a pair of forceps before stitching everything back up. All without any anesthetic. And even after the surgery, the area was prone to infections, and the wound often reopened. People frequently died from the surgery as much as from the ailment itself.
These days, the treatment for bladder stones is a simple procedure, using lasers or ultrasound waves to break the stone into smaller parts that can be washed out of the bladder with fluids. The procedure is carried out under anaesthetic, rendering it painless, and antibiotics are given post-procedure to ensure that there is no risk of infection.
This is just one example of the many types of surgeries that were painful and potentially lethal back in the day, that we now no longer need to worry about, all because of the expertise and technological development of our forebears.
The Storage and Passing of Knowledge
Perhaps the most important technological development in medicine is potentially the most important development in all of human history: writing.
Before the invention of writing, there was no reliable way to exchange important information or keep accurate records of anything. The earliest used writing system (phonecian cuneiform) was used to keep records of sales and trade negotiations during the Bronze Age – but it wasn’t long before most nations had their own form of writing, and their own record-keeping conventions. This led to the inevitable: the recording of knowledge and passing it down.
Ancient manuscripts detailing surgical and medical theory and practice have survived from several major ancient cultures, and these records served as the base of information that future generations would work on and then develop through their own expertise and experience.
Today, our ability to record and pass information down to our descendants is near perfect, with technological advances in information retention such as servers, hard drives, and cloud computing making it easier than ever to collect notes and data, but to store them in a medium that is accessible to other professionals who would benefit from the research.
Current Developments
The previous three examples are all extremely important technological developments in the field of medicine, but make no mistake; aside from these, there are a myriad of other developments that we have neglected to mention. The use of AI to compile and sort data from studies, to communication technologies, and mobility aids are all examples of increasing technological development in medicine. Suffice to say, medical technology is the best it’s ever been and is getting better all the time.