Introduction to the Systemic Medicine1

The word medicine means drugs and remedies. It has got many branches developed such as aviation medicine, and nuclear medicine, clinical, legal, forensic, ionic or nuclear, patent, preventive, proprietary medicine, psychosomatic medicine, socialized medicine, and medical public health, etc.

A patient is one who suffers from diseases and desires to undergo treatment and who looks towards the doctor with faith, hopes and expectations and likes to be heard and listened to sympathetically, attentively and always wishes to know about diagnosis prognosis, and expenses.

A doctor is a qualified practitioner who treats the patient after obtaining history, and after physically examining him and he is supposed to be well-versed in the science and art of medicine. He is a compassionate, sympathetic as well as attentive listener and sober enough not to loose patience or temper.

The Hippocratic oath is taken with strict adherence to the high standard behavior with the patient and maintain secrecy as far as possible about his ailment and observe benevolence and sympathy and try to give relief and cure to the extent possible and avoid all avenues of malpractices and also safeguard the public interest.

It starts with history taking, attentive hearing, skillfully putting leading questions when necessary and fully use the background of age, sex, education, geographic knowledge, and existing epidemics and frequency of disease, foreign travel, professional hazards, diet, habits and company he or she keeps 2along with the required family history. Professor Dunlop used to say that 70 percent diagnosis possibility can be reached if satisfactory history is taken.

From head to foot, purposeful, intelligent, having insight and connection with his complaints. Patients to be seen sitting, bending, walking and lying down and for limb movements, coordination and tremors, chest measurements during inspiration and expiration and abdomen measurement at the umbilicus.

Height, weight, pulse, respiration, temperature, vital capacity, if necessary femoral and popliteal pulse palpation.

Required perfect silence and proper technique.

Over cardiac area, arteries, lungs, joints, eyeballs and aneurysmal swellings, abdomen and skull.

Note down probable diagnosis as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 investigate one by one through latest techniques of laboratory, X-rays, and other facilities available such as sonography, scanning, skin test, nuclear imaging, culture, biopsy, serological tests.

Treatment depends on:

If the patient is suffering from an incurable disease try to be tactful in communication with him in pieces with due intervals and impress aspects of positive variations and advise him about occupation, games, marriage, driving, travel and also explain to him about the necessary precautions he/she requires to take. Inform about the patients with same diseases who have improved by advanced; treatment and if possible; give their addresses so that the patient can communicate with such relieved patients.

It is a Government public health ideal and will not be achieved unless 100 percent literacy come up and more than 30 percent of total budget of the country are spent carefully on public health requirements. The nationalization of health services in the UK is one of the constructive steps and is required to be followed by all the nations and strictly follow the international preventive rules for the diseases like AIDS, etc. Not failure but low aim is a crime and where there is a will, there is always a way out of all the odds.