Medicine Merit Badge

MEDICINE

1. Discuss with your counselor the influence that EIGHT of the following people had on the history of medicine:
1. Hippocrates
2. William Harvey
3. Antonie van Leewenhoek
4. Edward Jenner
5. Florence Nightingale
6. Louis Pasteur
7. Gregor Mendel
8. Joseph Lister
9. Robert Koch
10. Daniel Hale Williams
11. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
12. Marie and Pierre Curie
13. Walter Reed
14. Karl Landsteiner
15. Alexander Fleming
16. Charles Richard Drew
17. Helen Raussig
18. James Watson and Francis Crick
19. Jonas Salk
2. Explain the Hippocratic Oath to your counselor, and compare the original version to a more modern one. Discuss to whom those subscribing to the original version of the oath owe the greatest allegiance.
3. Discuss the health-care provider—patient relationship with your counselor, and the importance of such a relationship in the delivery of quality care to the patient. Describe the role of confidentiality in this relationship.
4. Do the following:
1. Describe the roles the following people play in the delivery of health care in your state. (Note: Not all may exist in your state.)
1. Allopathic physician
2. Chiropractor
3. Emergency medical technician
4. Licensed practical/vocational nurse
5. Medical assistant
6. Medical laboratory technologist
7. Nurse-midwife
8. Nurse practitioner
9. Occupational therapist
10. Optometrist
11. Osteopathic physician
12. Pharmacist
13. Physical therapist
14. Physician's assistant
15. Podiatrist
16. Psychologist
17. Radiologic technologist
18. Registered nurse
19. Respiratory therapist
2. Describe the educational and licensing requirements for five of those in 4a—other than 4a(1)—practicing health care in your state.
5. (a) Tell what is meant by the term "primary care" with regard to a medical specialty. Briefly describe the types of work done by physicians in the following "core" specialties:
1. Internal medicine*
2. Family practice*
3. Obstetrics/gynecology*
4. Pediatrics*
5. Psychiatry
6. Surgery
(b) Describe the additional educational requirements for these specialties.
6. Do the following:
1. Briefly describe the types of work performed by physicians in FIVE of the following specialties or subspecialties:
1. Allergy/immunology
2. Anesthesiology
3. Cardiology
4. Colon and rectal surgery
5. Dermatology
6. Emergency medicine
7. Endocrinology
8. Gastroenterology
9. Geriatric medicine
10. Hematology/oncology
11. Infectious disease
12. Nephrology
13. Neuro surgery
14. Neurology
15. Nuclear medicine
16. Ophthalmology
17. Orthopedic surgery
18. Otolaryngology/head and neck surgery
19. Pathology
20. Physical medicine and rehabilitation
21. Plastic, reconstructive, and maxillofacial surgery
22. Preventive medicine
23. Radiology
24. Rheumatology
25. Thoracic/cardiothoracic surgery
26. Urology
27. Vascular surgery
2. Describe the additional educational requirements for the five specialties or subspecialties you chose in 6a.
7. 1. Visit a physician's office**, preferably one who delivers " primary care." (This may be that of your counselor.) Discuss the components of a medical history and physical examination (an official BSA health form may be used to guide this discussion), and become familiar with the instruments used.
   2. Describe the characteristics of a good diagnostic test to screen for disease (e.g., routine blood pressure measurement). Explain briefly why diagnostic tests are not "perfect."
   3. Show how to take a blood pressure and a pulse reading.
8. Do the following:
1. Discuss the roles medical societies, employers, the insurance industry, and the government play in influencing the practice of medicine in the United States.
2. Briefly tell how your state monitors the quality of health care within its borders, and how it provides care to those who do not have health insurance.
9. Discuss with your counselor the health-care delivery systems in the United States, Sweden, and China.
10. Serve as a volunteer at a health-related event or facility in your community (e.g., blood drive, "health fair," blood pressure screening, etc.) approved by your counselor.