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Rough draft -- Definition Paper 01.30.11

Term- medicine

Class- to do with health

Characteristics- used to treat ailements relaiting to a physical or mental injury

medicine has been defined by the merriam-webster dictionary as 1 //a// **:** a substance or preparation used in treating disease //b// **:** something that affects well-being 2 //a// **:** the science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease //b// **:** the branch of medicine concerned with the nonsurgical treatment of disease 3 **:** a substance (as a drug or potion) used to treat something other than disease 4 **:** an object held in traditional American Indian belief to give control over natural or magical forces; //also// **:** magical power or a magical rite. Since medicine is such a broad term it has many difinitions as shown here; but what can be considered medicine? Having asked a handful of people, varying age and made up of both males and females, medicine clearly has multiple definitions because in each case the definition is different to each individual person yet all were loosly related. A majority of the people defined medicine as a substance, organic or man-made, in which is proscribed or given to someone by a doctor, to cure or treat and ailement, physical or mental; but what falls into those catagories?

Today there are many proscription drugs that are given to patients that are intended and do help treat injuries, yet some of thoes "medicines" are to often abused and thus can end up causing more of a problem then what they initially started with. So if their are "medications" that are creating more harm for the body, how can they be considered medicine?

Revised Version-

Over the years mankind has struggled to survive; even throughout war and famine there has and always will be one obstacle that undoutably proved to be the hardest enemy to face, sickness. There has been many ways of curing sickness, different takes on the sickness itself but one thing that continues to come to mind when an illness is brought up is the idea of Medicine. Medicine has been difined by countless cultures through the span of time; being such a broad term it must have several different difinitions. The Merriam-Webster dictioanary difines it as 1 a: a substance or preparation used in treating disease //b// **:** something that affects well-being; 2 //a// **:** the science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease //b// **:** the branch of medicine concerned with the nonsurgical treatment of disease; 3 **:** a substance (as a drug or potion) used to treat something other than disease; 4 **:** an object held in traditional American Indian belief to give control over natural or magical forces; //also// **:** magical power or a magical rite.

What can be concidered medicine? Having asked a few people of vering ages and of both genders further proved that the only thing that difines medicine is the fact that the substace, whether it be organic or man-made, is prosc ﻿ ﻿ ibed by a doctor to cure or treat an ailement, either physical or mental; but what can make up these catagories? When it comes to proscibing medicine what constitues an illness that needs to be cured or treated; or what "medicine" is right for the job? If the medicine is defined as a substance in which is supposed to help the body, why is it that there are proscription drugs that are given to patients that are to easily and often abused creating a problem much worse that what they had initially started with?

If there are drugs such as proscription pain killers that are to easily finding there way into the hands of children and causing abusive addictions that can lead to the use of illegal drugs and death caused by and over-dose. In our country alone over 100,000 people die due to over-doses of proscription drugs; if this isn't viewed as a problem then why is marijuana, a drug that to this day not have one death linked to? Marijuana has been used to treat the pain that glaucoma causes, help patients have an apitite and keep food down during chemotherapy; thoes uses seem to fit the discription of medicine.

I thought the paper was really informative. However you have several spelling errors, but overall I thought the paper was good. nice job. -Ellie

Rivised version 2

Since the dawn of man their has been a struggle to survive; through war and famine the strongest prevailed, but throughout the coarse of time one obstacle that has held man back and proved to be his toughfest enemy to defeate is sickness. One term that has always followed sickness is medicine. Being such a broad term there is no correct definition only trial, error and oppinions formed by different cultures and their rituals conducted over the years. Medicine was seen by the Native Americans as an object that gives control over natural or magical forces; today there is an obviously more scientific take on medications but when thought about if the substance or ritual is helping, in this case a spiritual problem, then should it be considered medicine?

Medicine was dicribed by three difernt people of verying ages, educational background and of both genders, and all had realtivly the same answer; medicine is a substance, either it be organic or man-made, given to a patient by a doctor to cure or treat and ailement, physical or mental. But what can be concidered medicine? What type of substance falls into these catagories of being a drug yet aiding the body. When proscribing medications what is considered severe enough to constitue a recomidation to a certin drug; as well as which one is chosen to fit the job discription?

Doctors are currently aloud to give patients sinthetic proscription medication such as oxycotin, oxycodone and vicodin; these pain killers and many others are to easily abused and distributed to children, which can lead to an addiction and eventually an over dose. Over 2.5 million people begin to abuse proscription drugs each year([]) and over 100,00 people die of and over dose caused by over the counter "medication" each year in North America alone; and these are considered medications?Currently if these "medications", that seem to be more like a poison then anything, are so continusly used why must there be objections to drugs that could potentially be a very helpful medication without as much of the adverse affects.

Not only are there substances that can be given to the patient but there are also activities that are considered medicine. Sometimes when one is down they can turn to a higher power and their whole life is turned around due to this "spiritual medicine", or in some African cultures when one of the tribesmen are sick a team of drumers are sent to thier tent and are instructed to play drums untill the sickness has passed. Think back to childhood when a fever had kept the vibrant colorful child bed ridden, but the only thing that seems to help is a warm bowl of moms soup; when it comes down to it the definition of medicine is an opinion based entirely on the belifes of the patient in which it concerens.