Ear Hands and Brain - the losing out tools of Medicine....
Medicine started as an art - the best physician was seen as one who can listen to the story the patient was telling and come to a possible conclusion of what he was suffering from. though understanding of Medicine was not "fully developed" (We think it is developed today - we might be surprised how less we know even today - all you need to keep probing with more why questions!). The "ear" was an important "tool" in this art....
Soon good physicians started observing that "signs" - external manifestations, which one can observe and identify through physical examination, can add more information - and the art of "Clinical examination" in addition to the stories became an accepted method. Thus "hands" and "touch" became another excellent tool.
Then came the era of "Tests" that changes in body fluids - blood, urine,. other fluids etc could give supportive evidence to prove your "diagnosis", bu the primary tools continued to be the Ear and Hands...It was during this time, the "diagnosis" by identifying the causative organism became the "gold standard"...and the ear and Hands started becoming secondary tools....
And then came the era of "seeing what is happening inside" through Ultra-sonography, CT Scan, MRIs and PET and all the other radiological technologies became more and more important, initially as a "supportive tool" and more and more as a "primary tool".
These advances of medicine has really revolutionized the "curing" we do....
Ear and Hands are now not required. It has come to a state where you can feed your symptoms into a computer, it will give you the possible "Differential diagnosis" and advise you to get the "tests" done, and these tests will give you the diagnosis. And the treatment (chemicals)will also be advised by the computer. Doctors are needed only to give you second opinion if so required....A doctors brain also may not be required in the future!
And many will be cured but how many will be healed....? When Ear, Hands and Brain are no more required - will Medicine continue to be "the healing profession" or become the "body fixing profession" and hospitals the service stations for bodies....?
Similar changes are seen even in "Spirituality" - Spirituality as a "Spirit fixing profession" and churches as "spirit servicing station" - short cuts to spirituality - 5 ways by which you can become holy, 7 ways to live a satisfied life, 12 ways to have all you want at the same time not feel guilty...not so uncommon to see these titles in book stores...
Faith, Hope and Love as tools of spirituality has been replaced by short cuts and the end being "Fulfilled life" but "Abundant life" is some where lost in this process....
What can we do to "recapture healing" and "abundant life"...in the midst of of the short cuts the technology offers...
Soon good physicians started observing that "signs" - external manifestations, which one can observe and identify through physical examination, can add more information - and the art of "Clinical examination" in addition to the stories became an accepted method. Thus "hands" and "touch" became another excellent tool.
Then came the era of "Tests" that changes in body fluids - blood, urine,. other fluids etc could give supportive evidence to prove your "diagnosis", bu the primary tools continued to be the Ear and Hands...It was during this time, the "diagnosis" by identifying the causative organism became the "gold standard"...and the ear and Hands started becoming secondary tools....
And then came the era of "seeing what is happening inside" through Ultra-sonography, CT Scan, MRIs and PET and all the other radiological technologies became more and more important, initially as a "supportive tool" and more and more as a "primary tool".
These advances of medicine has really revolutionized the "curing" we do....
Ear and Hands are now not required. It has come to a state where you can feed your symptoms into a computer, it will give you the possible "Differential diagnosis" and advise you to get the "tests" done, and these tests will give you the diagnosis. And the treatment (chemicals)will also be advised by the computer. Doctors are needed only to give you second opinion if so required....A doctors brain also may not be required in the future!
And many will be cured but how many will be healed....? When Ear, Hands and Brain are no more required - will Medicine continue to be "the healing profession" or become the "body fixing profession" and hospitals the service stations for bodies....?
Similar changes are seen even in "Spirituality" - Spirituality as a "Spirit fixing profession" and churches as "spirit servicing station" - short cuts to spirituality - 5 ways by which you can become holy, 7 ways to live a satisfied life, 12 ways to have all you want at the same time not feel guilty...not so uncommon to see these titles in book stores...
Faith, Hope and Love as tools of spirituality has been replaced by short cuts and the end being "Fulfilled life" but "Abundant life" is some where lost in this process....
What can we do to "recapture healing" and "abundant life"...in the midst of of the short cuts the technology offers...
Beautiful analogy. If only we could live our lives with heaven on our minds and Jesus in our hearts, faith, hope and love would be more a part of everyday living. Thanks for the reminder
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