Library: Medicine & Public Health by Credo Reference: Health Professions and Disciplines

Medical Specialties

Anesthesia: Topic Page
Medical specialty dealing with anesthesia and related matters, including resuscitation and pain.
Cardiology
From Reader's Guide to the History of Science
Cardiology is now held to be the study of the heart and its diseases, although the field is at times taken also to encompass the study of blood vessels and their diseases.
Dermatology
From Columbia Encyclopedia
Branch of medicine concerned with diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the skin. Dermatologists also study the structure and function of the skin, and the relationship between skin pathologies and malfunctions of other organs of the body
Endocrinology
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Medical discipline dealing with regulation of body functions by hormones and other biochemicals and treatment of endocrine system imbalances.
Geriatrics: Topic Page
The branch of medicine concerned with the care of the elderly, and with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders associated with aging.
Gynecology
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Branch of medicine specializing in the disorders of the female reproductive system.
Neurology
From The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Technology Study of the morphology, physiology, and pathology of the human nervous system. Since the brain, spine, and eye are integral part of the nervous system, the domain of neurology overlaps that of psychiatry, orthopedics and ophthalmology.
Obstetrics
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth (see birth), and the time after childbirth. Obstetrics is often combined with gynecology as a medical specialty.
Oncology
From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Oncology is a specialized branch of medicine that focuses on the research, diagnoses, and treatment of cancer.
Ophthalmology: Topic Page
Branch of medicine specializing in the anatomy, function and diseases of the eye. Ophthalmologists specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of eye disorders, vision measurements for glasses (refraction), eye muscle exercises (orthoptics), and the prevention of blindness and care of the blind.
Orthopaedics: Topic Page
Medical specialty concerned with the correction of disease or damage in bones and joints.
Pathology
From The Macmillan Encyclopedia
The branch of medicine concerned with the study of disease and disease processes in order to understand their causes and nature.
Pediatrics
From The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development
Medical specialty dealing with the development, health, and diseases of children.
Psychiatry: Topic Page
Branch of medicine that concerns the diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including major depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety.

Health Professions and Disciplines

Accupuncture: Topic Page
Technique of traditional Chinese medicine, in which a number of very fine metal needles are inserted into the skin at specially designated points.
Addiction: Topic Page
State of dependence caused by frequent and regular use of drugs, alcohol, or other substances.
Alternative Medicine: Topic Page
Approaches to the treatment of illness using procedures other than those recommended by orthodox medical science; also known as complementary medicine.
Anatomy: Topic Page
Branch of biology concerned with the study of body structure of various organisms, including humans.
Dentistry: Topic Page
The treatment and prevention of diseases of the mouth and teeth; with medicine and nursing, one of the major health professions.
Counseling: Topic Page
The term counseling has both a generic and a more specific meaning. Generally speaking, counseling represents a set of problem-solving actions—developing a working relationship, assessing the problem, initiating behavior change, maintaining change, and evaluating the outcomes.
Doctors Without Borders: Topic Page
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders is the world’s largest independent medical relief organization.
Epidemiology
From the Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
The study of the patterning and determinants of the incidence and distribution of disease.
Gene Therapy: Topic Page
The application of genetic engineering techniques to alter or replace a defective gene or genes. The procedures are still at the experimental stage, but it is hoped that they could lead to the prevention of hereditary diseases such as haemophilia.
Homeopathy: Topic Page
A holistic form of medicine which aims to help the body to heal itself by administering very small doses of substances which in larger doses would produce the relevant symptoms in a healthy person; it is based on the theory that 'like cures like'.
Human Nutrition: Topic Page
Study of the materials that nourish an organism and of the manner in which the separate components are used for maintenance, repair, growth, and reproduction.
Immunology: Topic Page
Branch of medicine that studies the response of organisms to foreign substances, e.g., viruses, bacteria, and bacterial toxins (see immunity).
Medicine: Topic Page
The science and art of treating and preventing disease.
Mental Health: Topic Page
Well-being and soundness of mind, not only in terms of intellectual abilities, but also in terms of the capability to deal with everyday problems, and the capacity to get on well with other people and to form and sustain relationships.
Nursing: Topic Page
Science of providing continuous care for sick or infirm people.
Osteopathic Medicine: Topic Page
Osteopathy is a system of medicine that is distinct in a philosophical approach to patient care in health and in sickness.
Pharmacology: Topic Page
A branch of medical science which studies the actions, uses, and undesirable side-effects of drugs.
Pharmacy
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
The art of compounding and dispensing drugs and medication.
Physical Therapy: Topic Page
Physical therapy is a health profession serving persons of any age or health status with compromised physical functioning or the desire to improve their current physical functioning.
Psychopharmacology: Topic Page
In its broadest sense, the study of all pharmacological agents that affect mental and emotional functions.
Public Health: Topic Page
Field of medicine and hygiene dealing with the prevention of disease and the promotion of health by government agencies.
Virology: Topic Page
Study of viruses and their role in disease.

Nursing Specialties

Clinical Nurse Specialist
From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) are licensed registered nurses with additional master's or doctorate level training in CNS. These advanced practice nurses are clinical experts in theory-based or research-based nursing, focusing on specific specialty areas.
Midwifery
The Columbia Encyclopedia
The art of assisting at childbirth.
Nurse Anesthetist
From The Gale encyclopedia of nursing and Allied Health
Nurse anesthetists, or certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), are advanced practice registered nurses with specialized graduate level education, training, and certification in anesthesiology.
Nurse Practitioner
From Encyclopedia of Women's Health Broadly defined, an NP is an advanced practice registered nurse who has attained a formal NP education, primarily at the master's degree level.
Physician Assistant
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Health-care professional who provides patient services ranging from taking medical histories and doing physical examinations to performing minor surgical procedures
Registered Nurse
From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Registered nurses, or RNs, are health care professionals who work as part of health care teams to promote health and prevent and treat disease.

Medical Treatment

Anesthesia: Topic Page
Loss of sensation, especially that of pain, induced by drugs, especially as a means of facilitating safe surgical procedures.
Antibiotics: Topic Page
Any of a variety of substances, usually obtained from microorganisms, that inhibit the growth of or destroy certain other microorganisms.
Clinic: Topic Page
Clinic, name for an institution providing medical diagnosis and treatment for ambulatory patients.
Clinician
From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
A health professional, such as a physician, psychologist, or nurse, who is directly involved in patient care, as distinguished from one who does only research or administrative work.
Dialysis: Topic Page
In chemistry, transfer of solute (dissolved solids) across a semipermeable membrane.
Hospital: Topic Page
An institution in which certain kinds of illness are investigated and treated. The first documented hospital was Chinese, in 491.
Organ Transplantation: Topic Page
In medicine, the transfer of a tissue or organ from one human being to another or from one part of the body to another (skin grafting).
Surgery: Topic Page
Branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and the excision and repair of pathological conditions by means of operative procedures.