Do you know what an otolaryngologist is? Test yourself. Is an
otolaryngologist
an eye doctor
a foot doctor
can ear, nose, and throat doctor
a joints, ligaments, and tendons doctor
With over 20 accredited medical specialties in the United States, it's easy to
confuse pediatrics with podiatry or forget altogether what an otolaryngologist
does. In this feature, brush up on your knowledge of medical specialties and
find out if you answered the above question correctly.
Since the
advent of modern anesthesiology in the 1930s, anesthesiologists have extended
surgical horizons by permitting operations scarcely conceivable
before.
Anesthesiology
Though many of us associate anesthesiologists with operations, they also play a
central role in the care of patients outside the operating room. Both before
and after surgery as well as during operations, anesthesiologists closely
monitor their patients' circulation, respiration, blood-gas levels, and pain in
order to facilitate successful surgery and recovery. Because anesthesiologists
must tailor-make an anesthetic program to suit the specific condition of each
patient, their specialty is one of the broadest in medicine, requiring
knowledge of all aspects of clinical medicine, especially respiratory and
circulatory physiology, the devices used to support and monitor these systems,
and the drugs that act upon them.
Allergy and Immunology
Doctors specializing in the fields of allergy and immunology focus primarily on
treating patients under siege by their own immune systems. Whether their
patients suffer from a minor rash brought on by exposure to an allergen in
nature or a major auto-immune disease such as multiple sclerosis or AIDS,
allergists and immunologists must be careful diagnosticians, analyzing tests
and listening to specific information about their patients' lifestyles in order
to prescribe the best mode of treatment or prevention. Some immunologists
specialize in travel medicine and provide pre-trip inoculation regimens for
patients traveling all over the world.
An EKG
graphically traces the electric current generated by the heart as it
beats.
Cardiology
Cardiologists treat patients with conditions of the heart, blood vessels, and
circulation. They perform surgery and transplants and often serve as
consultants to other physicians with patients whose illness involves the
circulatory system. To evaluate a patient's condition, cardiologists use tests
such as the electrocardiogram (EKG), which graphically records electric
currents generated by the heart.
Dermatology
Dermatologists diagnose and treat disorders of the skin, the most common of
which are acne, psoriasis, and eczema. Though dermatologists usually treat
their patients using prescription drugs, they also perform outpatient
procedures, from mole removals to chemical peels.
E.R. medicine requires that paramedics, doctors, nurses, and others be
quick on their toes.
Emergency Medicine
Made famous by the highly rated television show "E.R.," emergency medicine is
the most hectic of all the medical specialties, often requiring a doctor's
split-second, life-or-death decision under conditions of extreme pressure. An
emergency physician's primary role is to quickly recognize, evaluate, and
stabilize patients who come into the emergency room. Because the conditions of
patients in the emergency room run the gamut, E.R. doctors must be well-versed
in almost every area of medicine, at least enough to preliminarily care for a
patient and call upon the correct specialist to administer further care. (For
an inside look at this area of medicine, see One Night in an E.R..)
Endocrinology
Endocrinologists commonly treat patients with thyroid disorders, diabetes, and
eating disorders in order to bring the body's chemistry, cellular functions,
and metabolism under control.
Family Practice
Family practitioners are responsible for the total care of their patients, old
and young, following their health over a number of years and coordinating their
care with specialists when needed. With their vast range of medical knowledge,
family practitioners are generally the first stop for most patients seeking
medical advice, whether for a sore throat or a more serious medical
concern.
Surgeons scrub in before an
operation.
General Surgery
General surgeons have broad-based experience in anatomy, physiology,
metabolism, immunology, nutrition, pathology, wound healing, shock and
resuscitation, and intensive-care medicine. They perform surgery to treat
conditions in the abdomen, breasts, head and neck, and vascular system. They
repair hernias and remove appendixes and cysts. Though many of the procedures
that general surgeons perform may also be done by surgical specialists, general
surgeons are often called in to perform surgeries in conjunction with a
specialist or after a specialist has already diagnosed a patient and ordered a
surgical treatment.
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterologists care for patients who have conditions of the esophagus,
stomach, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, and intestines. In addition to
performing surgery related to conditions in these organs and providing
preventive screening for diseases, gastroenterologists also treat patients with
relatively minor disorders such as heartburn and ulcers on an outpatient basis.
Hematology
Hematology is the medical field concerned with the treatment of blood and
blood-tissue disorders. Using special methods to examine the structure of a
patient's blood, hematologists diagnose and treat a range of blood-related
diseases such as leukemia, hemophilia, and myeloma. Hematologists often work in
conjunction with other specialists to care for a patient with a disease of the
blood.
Internist Dr. Jane Liebschutz, one of the doctors featured in
"Survivor M.D.," visits with a patient.
Internal Medicine
Internal medicine is the specialty that deals with the general medical
treatment of adults. Rather than focusing on a particular organ or body system,
internal-medicine physicians are concerned with the total body health of their
patients. Internists have wide-ranging medical knowledge and are capable of
treating a range of medical problems, from minor to severe, and performing a
number of surgeries. Though not necessarily included in their training, many
internists choose to broaden their expertise to include special care in certain
areas, such as gynecology or adolescent medicine.
Neurology
Neurologists specialize in the treatment of all aspects of nervous-system
health, from migraine headaches to stroke and epilepsy. Neurologists work
closely with psychiatrists when dealing with neurological disorders that effect
emotional or mental functioning and, in some cases, perform neurosurgery, or
brain surgery.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Obstetricians and gynecologists specialize in the health of the female
reproductive system. In many cases, these two specialties go together, and
doctors specialize in both obstetrics and gynecology. Technically, however,
obstetricians care for pregnant women during pregnancy and through delivery,
while gynecologists diagnose, treat, and screen for disorders and diseases of
the female reproductive system. Gynecologists administer "Pap" smears to test
for reproductive cancers, prescribe various methods of birth control, perform
abortions, treat urinary tract illnesses, and examine breasts for
irregularities.
Since the
advent of modern anesthesiology in the 1930s, anesthesiologists have extended
surgical horizons by permitting operations scarcely conceivable
before.
An EKG
graphically traces the electric current generated by the heart as it
beats.
E.R. medicine requires that paramedics, doctors, nurses, and others be
quick on their toes.
Surgeons scrub in before an
operation.
Internist Dr. Jane Liebschutz, one of the doctors featured in
"Survivor M.D.," visits with a patient.