In colonial times, herbalist, druggists, midwives, and ministers practiced the healing arts. But not all were effective. Unsanitary instruments, lack of anesthesia, and simple ignorance made surgery a terrible ordeal, and doctors probably killed as many people as they saved.

But by studying anatomy and physiology, doctors eventually established themselves as self-regulating professionals with medical degrees. The American Medical Association (AMA) was founded in 1847 and symbolized the growing acceptance of a scientific model of medicine.

Still, traditional approaches to health care had their defenders. The AMA opposed them by seeking control of the certification process. In the early 1900s, state licensing boards agreed to certify only physicians trained in the scientific programs approved by the AMA.

As a result, schools teaching other healing skills began to close, which soon limited the practice of medicine to those holding an M.D. degree. Accordingly, the prestige and income of physicians rose dramatically; today, men and women with M.D. degrees earn, on average, $200,000 annually.

Practitioners of other approaches, such as osteopathic physicians, concluded that they had no choice but to fall in line and follow AMA standards. Thus osteopaths (with D.O. degrees), originally concerned with manipulating the skeleton and muscles, today treat illness with drugs in much the same way as medical doctors (with M.D. degrees). Chiropractors, herbal healers, and midwives still practice but have been relegated to the fringe of the medical profession.

Scientific medicine, taught in expensive, urban medical schools, also changed the social profile of doctors so that most physicians came from privileged backgrounds and practiced in cities. Furthermore, women, who had figured in many fields of healing, were scorned by the AMA. Some early medical schools did train women and African-Americans, but with few financial resources, most of these schools eventually closed.

Only in recent decades has the social diversity of the medical profession increased, with women and African-Americans representing 29 percent and 6 percent of physicians, respectively (Gordon, 1980; Starr, 1982; Huet-Cox, 1984; U.S. Department of Labor, 2002).

AI (Afromerica Interpretation)

The above article reminds us that Western science disregards any and all other traditional and ritualistic forms of healing. It is a wonder how people survived for hundreds of thousands of years and in many eras lived longer and were healthier than now. Though science has benefited society in ways of speed and prevention, it has yet to actually find cures to diseases that plague humanity century after century.

In fact, it seems that the more scientific humanity becomes, the more sicknesses and diseases spring up around the world. There are more health problems, less health care, and the prestige of the medical profession has all but eliminated people who cannot afford the schooling, and those who cannot afford the high cost of health care.

Believing in a form of traditional healing along side faith in God can lessen a person's chance of contracting the diseases being spread not only through natural causes, but also by modern medicine itself.

Source from: Society the Basics: Macionis, 2004.

© 2004 by Afro Staff