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Medicine is the science and practice of establishing the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics, and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically through pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external splints and traction, medical devices, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst others.Medicine has been around for thousands of years, during most of which it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to the religious and philosophical beliefs of local culture. For example, a medicine man would apply herbs and say prayers for healing, or an ancient philosopher and physician would apply bloodletting according to the theories of humorism. In recent centuries, since the advent of modern science, most medicine has become a combination of art and science (both basic and applied, under the umbrella of medical science). While stitching technique for sutures is an art learned through practice, the knowledge of what happens at the cellular and molecular level in the tissues being stitched arises through science.

Prescientific forms of medicine are now known as traditional medicine and folk medicine, though they do not fall within the modern definition of “medicine” which is based in medical science. Traditional medicine and folk medicine remain commonly used with, or instead of, scientific medicine and are thus called alternative medicine (meaning “[something] other than medicine”, from Latin alter, “other”). For example, evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture is "variable and inconsistent" for any condition, but is generally safe when done by an appropriately trained practitioner. In contrast, alternative treatments outside the bounds not just of scientific medicine, but also outside the bounds of safety and efficacy are termed quackery. Quackery can encompass an array of practices and practitioners, irrespective of whether they are prescientific (traditional medicine and folk medicine) or modern pseudo-scientific, including chiropractic which rejects modern scientific germ theory of disease (instead believing without evidence that human diseases are caused by invisible subluxation of the bones, predominantly of the spine and less so of other bones), with just over half of chiropractors also rejecting the science of immunization.

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  1. S

    QLD Can you be made to work longer hours than stated on a medical certificate

    Hi - I have an ongoing medical condition - DVT and post thrombotic syndrome. My employer is aware of this. I have a medical certificate from my GP that states I am not allowed to work more than 8.5 hours per day. This is actually my contractual daily hours so essentially the medical certificates...
  2. J

    WA Medical

    My question is this I was concussed at work. After a 3 week stand down my doctor declared me fit for work. I attended a company doctor as well. He cleared me..They want my cat scan result and hospital discharge papers. Do I need to provide them. They have stood me down. until
  3. C

    QLD Hospital medical record confidentiality

    Many years ago, in 2013, a friend of mine was subjected to a malicious Justice Examination Order (JEO) which saw him escorted by the police, with no warning whatsoever, to the mental health section of a well known QLD public hospital where he was subsequently held for weeks until the first...
  4. OracleImmigrationConsult

    VIC What is BUPA Visa Health and Medical Services and Examination in Australia?

    BUPA is a medical and health examination provider chosen by the Department of Home Affairs to conduct all health and medical examinations in Australia before the visas can be granted to the applicants. Most visas require that the visa applicants satisfy the health criteria. To determine that...
  5. R

    VIC Enduring Guardianship V's Enduring Medical Power of Attorney

    I have been appointed Enduring Guardian over my Mother that has Dementia. My Sister has Enduring PoA (Medical Treatment), side note: I am the Alternate named in that doc. Question 1: Do I have the power to overrule her Medical decisions relating to my Mother? I have read different docs stating...
  6. G

    WA Pre Employment Medical

    My question is can your employer insist on having a copy of all the medical questions in the pre employment questionnaire that the doctor has to fill out in order to conclude if you are fit for work? I have done many of these and usually on the last page is the signed statement by the doctor...
  7. Henry Williams

    VIC Do I have a medical negligence case? Permanent Injury caused.

    So I had received involuntary psychiatric treatment, which consisted of long acting injectable antipsychotics for a period of 2 years. within a few months of being on them I developed a tremor which gradually got worse and worse especially under stress and physical exertion. I also developed...
  8. M

    Reimbursement for Medical Bills after Dog Attack

    I was recently attacked by a dog in a public park. The owner declined to give his name or stop to render assistance. I was able to take photos of the man, his dog, and the model/license plate of his car. I reported the attack to the local council in Victoria, supplied a written statement backed...
  9. W

    NSW Forced disclose of Private medical information?

    Can Public servants, (Police, Emergency services, Government agencies and businesses operators and employees force you to provide your private Confidential medical information at any time?
  10. P

    Equal Parental Rights (Medical) and possible differences of opinion on COVID-19 Vaccine

    Hi, Let me preface this by making it known that I am not an anti vaxxer, I am vaccinated for basically everything we can and should be and I have previously had my children vaccinated appropriately without hesitation. Science works and I have a pretty low opinion of the people who before this...