175
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Chandrappa, D. B. Das, Environmental Health - Theory and Practice,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64480-2_5
Chapter 5
Introduction to Medical Sciences
Abstract Medical science is a specialty of science that is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. However, the fundamentals of medical
science need to be understood by the environmental practitioners and professionals
to come out with effective solutions to present and future health problems due to
continuous changes in the environmental setup. Similarly, the effects of the environment on different organs need to be well understood to chart out effective strategies
to guide decision makers take the right decisions to protect public health by maintaining the environments. The relationship between the disease causative agent and
level of exposure as well as the degree of effect generally occurs in several ways that
form the fundamentals of environmental health. In addressing these points, this
chapter discusses the fundamentals of medical sciences for environmental practitioners and professionals.
5.1 Introduction
Medical science is a specialty of science that is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. However, the fundamentals of medical science
need to be understood by the environmental practitioners and professionals to come
out with effective solutions to present and future health problems due to changes in
environmental setup. Similarly, the effects of the environment on different organs
need to be well understood to chart out strategies to guide decision makers take the
right decisions to protect public health by maintaining the environments.
Understanding of the environment and human body has a long history. Primitive
people suffered from occasional aches, pains, injuries, bleeding, bone breaks, diseases, and contracted infections. The animal and plant diseases are of less interest to
primitive man.
The shift from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural regime that occurred from
6000 to 10,000 years ago altered the spectrum of human health and environment.
Before agriculture, discrete group of peoples had little contact with other groups.
Hence, the infectious ailments did not spread easily. In addition, these early peoples
ate wild plants that combated some parasitic infections.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Chandrappa, D. B. Das, Environmental Health - Theory and Practice,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64480-2_5
Chapter 5
Introduction to Medical Sciences
Abstract Medical science is a specialty of science that is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. However, the fundamentals of medical
science need to be understood by the environmental practitioners and professionals
to come out with effective solutions to present and future health problems due to
continuous changes in the environmental setup. Similarly, the effects of the environment on different organs need to be well understood to chart out effective strategies
to guide decision makers take the right decisions to protect public health by maintaining the environments. The relationship between the disease causative agent and
level of exposure as well as the degree of effect generally occurs in several ways that
form the fundamentals of environmental health. In addressing these points, this
chapter discusses the fundamentals of medical sciences for environmental practitioners and professionals.
5.1 Introduction
Medical science is a specialty of science that is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. However, the fundamentals of medical science
need to be understood by the environmental practitioners and professionals to come
out with effective solutions to present and future health problems due to changes in
environmental setup. Similarly, the effects of the environment on different organs
need to be well understood to chart out strategies to guide decision makers take the
right decisions to protect public health by maintaining the environments.
Understanding of the environment and human body has a long history. Primitive
people suffered from occasional aches, pains, injuries, bleeding, bone breaks, diseases, and contracted infections. The animal and plant diseases are of less interest to
primitive man.
The shift from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural regime that occurred from
6000 to 10,000 years ago altered the spectrum of human health and environment.
Before agriculture, discrete group of peoples had little contact with other groups.
Hence, the infectious ailments did not spread easily. In addition, these early peoples
ate wild plants that combated some parasitic infections.