Diagnostics and Historical Medical Models

Question 1

Diagnostic

Answer 1

Definition: A tool or method used to identify a disease or condition.
Example: Blood tests are commonly used to diagnose diabetes.

Question 2

Postulate

Answer 2

Definition: A principle or assumption in science, often a basis for theories.
Example: Koch’s postulates link specific microbes to diseases.

Question 3

Complementary Medicine

Answer 3

Definition: Non-mainstream practices used with conventional medicine.
Example: Acupuncture alongside pain medication.

Question 4

Miasma Theory

Answer 4

Definition: An outdated belief that disease spread through “bad air.”
Historical Context: Replaced by germ theory in the 19th century.

Question 5

Germ Theory

Answer 5

Proved that food spoiled because of contamination by invisible bacteria, not because of spontaneous generation. Stipulated that bacteria caused infection and disease.

Question 6

Humoral Theory

Answer 6

Definition: An ancient concept that health depends on balancing bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile.
Example: Illness was treated by adjusting diet or using bloodletting.

Question 7

Western Medical Model

Answer 7

Definition: A focus on diagnosing and treating physical disease causes, often scientifically.
Example: Developed from advancements in germ theory and biomedicine.