Imagine a primeval hunter, tracking a wooly mammoth across the icy tundras of ancient Asia. Together with his fellow hunters, they attack the great animal, a grim task to feed and clothe their little tribe. However, just before they kill it, a mighty tusk punctures his left thigh and crushes the bone below. Carried along by his fellows, the hunter is brought to their tribe’s medicine man, who examines his injury. The medicine man concludes that his leg must be amputated, lest the rest of the body suffers. The man will live, but he will never hunt again.
Fast forward a few millennia, and mammoths walk the earth no more. Broken legs, however, remain a possible problem faced by humans around the world. The difference, however, is the current age’s capacity to address this circumstance. With advances in medical technology, victims of broken leg bones have a chance to heal their fractured limbs, and those who have to get their limbs amputated can benefit from prosthetics.
Innovations to Addressing Medical Issues
Necessity is the mother of invention, or so the saying goes. Healthcare, when it was first conceived by the first medical practices of primeval times, is a result of the necessity for taking care of human well-being Like any innovation, healthcare has evolved alongside the sociological and technological progress of human civilization. What are some new innovations that help solve old problems?
Artificial Organs
While post-mortem organ donation remains essential, the long list of organ donation receivers can hinder those who need a transplant right away. An exhaustible amount of willing donations can only do so much to an endless demand for immediate transplants. Using advanced organ manufacturing technology, doctors can now use biomaterial to create artificial organs for patients in need.
AI for Medicine
Another advancement that can be used by physicians is Artificial Intelligence, which covers a broad scope of possible uses in the field of medicine. AI can be used to analyze medical data with efficiency, while also detecting any physiological/chemical issues with robotic precision. On the topic of physician data gathering, AI can also be used as virtual medical assistants that can take over the task of data computing from human physicians, thereby allowing doctors to focus on their patient’s health and their own. Burnout is a problem amongst physicians, a problem that a medical conference cruise or a specially-designed AI can alleviate.
Conclusion
Humans have experienced injury and disease ever since the first human species began thinking cognitively. The capacity to heal and care for others, too, has been felt across the centuries, from the medicine men of the first ages to the innovative physicians of today. This legacy of problem-solving is what connects the physicians across time, a link that transcends millennia. Our age, however, has the benefit of hindsight, and access to more advanced technology. With our wealth of knowledge, more problems can be solved, and we can continue healing our fellow humans, a duty that we’ve performed since time began.