Science is something that I am all too familiar with. It isn’t just something that I have learned, rather it is a part of me. It is part of who I am. I was born on the 11th of May, nearly two and a half months earlier than the doctors had predicted. Despite my mother’s best efforts to contain the half-baked infant inside of her and the work of doctors alongside her, I simply would not wait. Born a measly two and a half pounds, it was not unreasonable to assume that I would never be the healthiest baby in the neonatal – intensive care ward. Unlike other “normal” babies, I laid amidst a sea of tubes and wires, connected to machines to sustain my life because I was incapable of doing so on my own. Every faint breath was a miracle in the eyes of my parents. Without the assistance of neonatal oscillators, respirators, nasogastric intubation tubes – the vast array of incomprehensible equipment – I would not have been granted a chance to thrive. I owe my life to these previous advancements in medical science.
Inspired by the “miracles” that scientific technology provides, I have chosen a career path that allows me to be one of the select few tasked with harnessing the power of such. I aspire to become a surgeon. The field of medicine is one that is continuously expanding and revolutionized by advancements in scientific research. Medical procedures are evaluated, streamlined, and put into practice in order to increase the rate of positive outcomes – even among high risk procedures. The invention of laparoscopic surgery is a prime example of the benefits of scientific intervention. In essence, laparoscopic surgery’s use of small incisions guided by a scope has eliminated the need for doctors to make large open-wound incisions. As a result, laparoscopic surgery has led to a, “decreas[e] [in] blood loss, pain and discomfort… infection, cellulitis and incisional hern[iations]” (Agha et al.,2003). Although methods of machine guided laparoscopic surgery are still undergoing development, its contribution to medical outcomes is invaluable.
In areas of medicine outside the scope of clinical practice, the influence of science is still great. An example of such is the field of genome research. The rise of genome-based technology such as CRISPR-CAS9 has sparked an interest of researchers in genetic engineering and possible methods to combat illness. An understanding of how diseases and conditions develop may lead to an eventual eradication of ailments that are currently considered untreatable or terminal.
The field of medicine is heavily reliant on the continuous growth in science. Without its influence new, revolutionary methods of treatments would not exist and prevent our society from reaching medicine’s primary goal: decreasing rates of suffering and fatality among patients.
Works Cited
Agha, Riaz and Gordon Muir. “Does laparoscopic surgery spell the end of the open surgeon?” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 96,11 (2003): 544-6.
