Kyle Maziarz

Mr. Palcsey

English 10

4/24/18

Medicine Across the World

Medicine is thought to be a textbook field, but evEidence shows that the foundation of

the practice differs around the world. Although medicine has been around since the beginning of

the Aztec Empire, it has changed and morphed around cultures and religions. As the practice has

evolved it has developed many different branches, which include different ways to assess and

diagnose patients. Different beliefs of people correspond with these different branches of

medicine. Traditional, complementary, alterative and conventional are the different practices of

medicine that are most commonly used around the world. Traditional medicine incorporates

plants, animals and mineral based medicine, spiritual therapies, and exercises in the effort to

maintain well-being, and treat and diagnose illness (Peltzer par 2). Complementary and

alternative medicine on the other hand refers to a larger group of health care practices that aren’t

involved with countries own traditions (Peltzer par 3). Conventional medicine is the system in

which doctors treat symptoms and diseases using surgery, prescription drugs and radiation

(“conventional medicine”). It is, in fact, what is used in most modernized countries and more

advanced countries. The ways of medicine differs between different countries and religions

because of the beliefs and morals present in their lives.

China has stayed true to their ethnic roots, making their medical practice stuck to the

traditional way of teaching. Although they are advanced in technology and many other fields,

China has not yet made the move to a modernized system. Traditional medicine, to put in
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prospective, uses the practice of acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping and manual therapies

(Shin 1). This branch of healthcare in China is provided to 200 million patients and takes up

around 40% of all health care offered (Shin 1). Even though traditional medicine is what is

leading the way in hospital and clinics in China, the ratio of schools teaching conventional

medicine to traditional medicine is 4.59:1 (Shin 5). China is actively trying to make a change to a

more advanced, up to date health care system. Although traditional medicine is only at 40%,

there are two other main branches used in China, integrative medicine and specialized ethnic

doctors (Shin 3). With more than three categories available to the people of China, 40% is the

majority. Ethnic doctors are those who focus mainly on one’s cultural preferences. Their main

concern is how the course of treatment coincides with the beliefs of one’s religion. One main

religion in China is Taoism. Taoist believe that the body is a country. Within a human body lies

landscaped with mountains and lakes. Taoists believe that the heart is the true inhibiter of the

body and it is the spirit within someone. The heart, essentially, is the ruler of the body, making it

the most important part of someone. (Schipper 1)

In order to become a doctor in China requires a hefty amount of schooling, unlike some

lower income countries. The medical education system consists of a 5-year course including a

bachelors degree, and a 7 year bachelors and masters degree. After the students complete the five

year course of basic schooling they are to go into clinical training to receive a proper license

(Shin 5). There are alternative options for schooling however to fits ones financial problems or

time status. A student can do a 6 year program, four and a half years of basic medicine and one

and a half year of clinical training. Another option is an 8 year program where students earn the

bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees all in one (Shin 5). Colleges in China have lately

enforced more regulations and rules to improve the field, especially the use of antibiotics (Zheng
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5). These regulations are transferred over to medical facilities as well where there is a group

called the National Monitoring Network on Clinical Antibiotics that is in place in 120 hospitals

(Zheng 5). China is making the move to become a country where medicine is a seamless,

advanced field.

In comparison, the medical practice in Africa is also traditional (Sofowora 1). Although

China and Africa practice the same branch of medicine, how it is enforced is much different.

Africa, with the help of patient interaction and practice, has brought new and efficient techniques

that are helping Africa become closer to modernized medicine (Sofowora 1). A large part of

Africa is dying from diseases that, in other continents, aren’t life threatening and easily

preventable. This fact is caused because of how little emphasis health care has in Africa

(Sofowora 1). Private medical schools, community based education and international

partnerships are all trying to be strengthened in Africa, but the people are not giving equal

attentions to schools that the majority of people in a low income country can attend, but if a

student can attend medical schools it is good education. (Fitzhugh 1)The most common disease

in Africa are malnutrition, which is a very easily preventable disease in other places around the

world. The lack of surgical conditions in Africa have led to a large amount of deaths. Even with

evidence of worsening epidemics there is a visible neglect to the areas of surgery within the

public health (Galukande par 1). In an attempt to try and better the basic foundation of surgery In

Africa, there was a study in which district hospitals were told to narrow down surgeries to ones

which were essential for ones well-being. The surgeries most preformed within this study were

C-sections, uterine evacuations and hernia repair (Galukande par 2). Much like China, Africa is

showing a decline in traditional medicine use. Traditional medicine however is still a huge part
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of South African medicine through the methods of diagnosing chronic conditions, HIV and other

sexually transmitted diseases (Peltzer par 23).

With every continent and country comes different religions. One of the most practiced

religions in Africa is Islam. In the Islamic religion, humans and their bodies are at the highest of

all creation. Muslims are expected to be aware of their health at all times. When one becomes

sick it is not thought of as a curse but more as a way to look and better yourself. (Khitamy 60) in

order to keep their bodies at perfect health, they are encouraged to prevent illness and seek

treatment if an illness does occur. If treatment fails, Muslims are said to remain patient and don’t

take any measures towards euthanasia (Khitamy 60). When a Muslim becomes a doctor, they are

required to take an oath that says that they will protect life at all costs no matter the

circumstances, showing everyone equal treatment no matter what their background (khitamy 60).

The human body is the most sacred in religion of Islam. the views on medicine for Muslims is

directly related to the Qur’an and the teachings of Muhammad (Khitamy 60).

Europe differs from the other continents and countries because they use a complementary

and unconventional practice of medicine. These type of medicine is taught within schools and is

transferred into the field (Fisher 1). The push from the patients themselves is what has caused the

complementary medicine field to grow and become one of the biggest industries in modern

Europe today. The community wanted this specific type of field because it creates a wider region

for therapies an less emphasis on drug use. (Reilly 3) Evidence of this is compliant with the fact

that the main practices include acupuncture, homoeopathy, manual therapy and herbal medicine

(Fisher 1). Other places around the world do not always agree with this take on medicine, but

Europe has gradually become a place of great health care. In a study on patients over 16 who

have undergone a major surgery, were reviewed to see what the mortality rate was. At the end of
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this experiment it was tracked that the crude mortality rate if patients was a 4% .(Pearse 1059-

1061) crude mortality rate is the number of deaths that have occurred among a certain population

in a certain time period (“crude death rate”). The crude mortality rate in China is a 7, compared

to the world which is a 7.645 in 2015.( OECD Statistics Directorate) This is to show that Europe

is not only advanced in the medical field, but is successful.

One of the most practiced religions in Europe is Christianity. Christianity views on

medicine are different than others because the feelings on it are split. Christianity focuses on the

sanctity of human life. Christians believe that all healing comes from God, that being through

prayer, miracles or physical medicine. This view however is from modern Christians, because

the founding church fathers believed that healing came from an evil source (Amundsen abstract).

Some followers of God saw medicine as a natural order, and wit this believed in a common

feeling od disease and believe in seeking help. Other though saw illness as supernatural and saw

healing the same way (Amundsen 326). The reasoning for Christians feeling uneasy about

healing is because all Christians believe the soul and the body are two different things, and

placing the body’s health in front of the soul was a passageway for Satan (Amundsen 326).

The world is filled with different people, that have different cultures that follow many

different religions. Religion and beliefs are what make people do what they do even in fields

where its thought to be standardized. This is shown through how medicine has morphed to fit

continents and country’s lifestyles and cultures. Different branches of medicine have multiple

ways of treating someone, but the one thing they have in common is the goal to help and to heal.
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Work Cited

Daar, Abdallah S., and A. Khitamy. “Bioethics for Clinicians: 21. Islamic Bioethics.” CMAJ,

Canadian Medical Association Journal, 9 Jan. 2001, www.cmaj.ca/content/164/1/60.

Darrel, Amundsen. “MEDICINE AND FAITH IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY.” Bulletin of the

History of Medicine, vol. 56, no. 3, 1982, pp. 326–350.

Darrel, Amundsen. “Medicine, Society, and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds.” Johns

Hopkins University Press .

“Death Rate, Crude (per 1,000 People).” Death Rate, Crude (per 1,000 People) | Data,

data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.CDRT.IN.

Fisher, P., and A. Ward. “Medicine in Europe: Complementary Medicine in Europe.” Bmj, vol.

309, no. 6947, Sept. 1994, pp. 107–111.

Galukande, Moses, et al. “Essential Surgery at the District Hospital: A Retrospective Descriptive

Analysis in Three African Countries.” PLoS Medicine, vol. 7, no. 3, Sept. 2010,

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000243.

Mullan, Fitzhugh, et al. “Medical Schools in Sub-Saharan Africa – Authors' Reply.” The Lancet,

vol. 378, no. 9799, Apr. 2011, p. 1295.

OECD Statistics Directorate. “Crude Death Rate .” OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms - Crude

Death Rate Definition, stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=491.

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Park, Hye-Lim, et al. “Traditional Medicine in China, Korea, and Japan: A Brief Introduction

and Comparison.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2012,

15 June 2012, pp. 1–9.

Pearse, Rupert M, et al. “Mortality after Surgery in Europe: a 7 Day Cohort Study.” The Lancet,

vol. 380, no. 9847, 2012, pp. 1059–1065.

Reilly, David. “Comments on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Europe.” The

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 7, no. supplement 1, Feb. 2001,

pp. 23–31.

Kristofer Schipper, "The Taoist Body," History of Religions 17, no. 3/4 (Feb. - May, 1978): 355-

386.

Sofowora, Abayomi. “Research on Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine in Africa.” The

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 2, no. 3, 27 Aug. 2007, pp. 365–

372.

Zheng , Yingdong, et al. “Promoting Rational Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Clean Surgeries in

China.” Essential Medicines Monitor , no. 5, Aug. 2011, pp. 5–10.

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