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Types of Medicine According to Their Fundamentals - Coggle Diagram
Types of Medicine According to Their Fundamentals
Empirical Medicines :
Based only on empiricism (belief that states your knowledge of the world is based on your experiences, particularly your sensory experiences) and magical beliefs
Original forms
Prehistoric medicine
Healing attempts in early humans through rituals, trial-and-error use of plants, and magical practices.
Primitive medicine
Shamans and spiritual leaders using chants, herbs, or rituals.
Popular medicines
Folk remedies passed down by tradition without formal scientific basis.
Systematic forms
Archaic medicines
Practiced in the civilizations of Egypt and the Near East. Famous sources include the Edwin Smith Papyrus and Ebers Papyrus, showing practical though still magical approaches.
Non-validated medical practices
These are the so-called parallel or alternative medicines of today (e.g., homeopathy, naturopathy, crystal healing).
Rational and Scientific Medicines
Incorporating some scientific basis, although empirical traditions may persist
Rational & Scientific Medicines seek to turn medicine into a true natural science by combining reasoning, observation, and later experimentation.
Levels of Scientific Evidence
Lower levels are valuable as building blocks but cannot guide decisions alone.
Connection to the Scientific Method
Experimental medicine formalized these steps for medical research.
Establishment of Scientific-Experimental Medicine
Historical Context: Early Contemporary Age → physics was the model science to follow.
Goal: Transform medicine into a fully recognized natural science.
Laplace Anecdote: Proposed to Napoleon that doctors join the Académie des Sciences → shows medicine’s transition from art to science.
Three Successive Methodological Perspectives
Etiopathological Mentality
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Pathophysiological Mentality
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Anatomo-Clinical Mentality
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Experimental – scientific medicine
Contemporary medicine
Modern biomedicine, validated by experimentation, clinical trials, microbiology, and pharmacology.
Key developments:
17th century:
19th century:
20th century:
antibiotics, vaccines, anesthesia, organ transplantation.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM)
combines scientific research, clinical expertise, and patient values.
Pasteur and Koch → germ theory of disease.
Harvey’s discovery of blood circulation.
Scientific – speculative medicines
According to Sánchez-González, these speculative systems did not yet rely on experimentation but structured knowledge through reasoning.
Classical Asian medicines
Chinese medicine
Hindu medicine (Ayurveda)
Rational Western medicine
Grew out of Greek philosophy, relied on reasoning and early natural observations.
Classical Greek medicine
Medicines assimilated to Greek tradition
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Hippocrates (460–370 BCE) emphasized clinical observation, humoral theory, and ethical practice (Corpus Hippocraticum).
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Seeks balance between body, mind, and spirit through diet, lifestyle, herbs, and yoga.
Traditional Indian medicine, one of the oldest systems worldwide.
Includes diet, herbs, massage, yoga, meditation
Uses common elements like turmeric, ginger, cinnamon.
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Rooted in yin-yang theory and qi circulation. Emphasizes herbs, acupuncture, moxibustion.
Holistic systems such as acupuncture, qi balance, diet-therapy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Very old system mixing empirical observations + speculative theories.
Main therapies: acupuncture + herbal remedies (Materia Medica with 1,871 plants).
History: only practiced in China until 1840; threatened in 1929 but protected again after 1949; today it coexists with Western medicine.
Current relevance:
Focused on chronic disease, vitality, and prevention.
40% of prescriptions are traditional.
Practiced in 20% of Chinese hospitals.
Theories: Tao, Yin & Yang, 5 Elements, body as microcosm, energy flow through meridians.
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Yin and Yang Theory
Ancient doctrine from Yi Jing (700 BC).
Developed by Zou Yan (350–270 BC).
Universe explained through Qi variations → two forces: Yin & Yang.
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Emergence of Scientific–Speculative Medicine
Origin in Ancient Greece.
From religious medicine in Asclepius temples to artisan medical schools (Cyrene, Kos, Knidos).
Illness explanations shifted from supernatural to natural causes.
Hippocratic writings debated if medicine was independent knowledge or derived from philosophy.
Aristotle’s philosophy integrated natural sciences with medicine.
Result: medicine became scientific–speculative, relying on reason and observation rather than experiment.
Jimena Shaadi Guraieb - A01785328
