Le Medecin Empyrique

Title

Le Medecin Empyrique

View of an chemist in his laboratory doing his researches.

ca. 1810

Artist

Tardieu (1746-1816)

Ambroise Tardieu ( 1788 - 1841 in Paris) was an eminent French cartographer and engraver, and is celebrated for his version of John Arrowsmith's 1806 map of the United States. Tardieu's son, Auguste Ambroise Tardieu (1818-1879), was also an artist and a famous forensic medical scholar, who supplied the illustrations for Dr. Pierre François Olive Rayer's three-volume Traité des maladies des reins (1839-41), a treatise on diseases of the kidneys.

Historical Description

Even in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, there were healers. The Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460–370 BC) is considered the "father of medicine." In the Middle Ages, medicine was often practiced in monasteries and strongly influenced by religious doctrines. In early modern times, progress was made through improved knowledge of anatomy (e.g., Andreas Vesalius). The first hospitals were established, and physicians began to distinguish themselves more clearly from healers and bath attendants. It was not until the 19th century that modern medicine began to develop. Discoveries such as the germ theory (Pasteur, Koch) and the first vaccinations (Jenner) made physicians more scientific and effective. Only in the early 20th century did chemistry become a key science – with applications in medicine, industry, and agriculture. This included the development of new drugs, plastics, cleaning agents, and more. The history of medicine and chemistry shows the increasing scientific penetration of healthcare. Whereas in the past experience and observation dominated, today research, technology, and chemistry are at the core of modern medicine.