History of Medicine (United States)

The history of American Medicine has been relatively short, as compared to European Medicine, but has had a global impact. Although this article is about the development of the professional practice and education of physicians in the United States, it includes some background on the popular traditions of healing arts by both the Native Americans and the early European and African immigrants, whose remedies, in part, became incorporated into medical practice.

Medicine as a profession in the USA

Before the American Revolution

Since the human population of North America was sparse, and had been separated from the crowded European, African, and Asian peoples for many generations, there was a fundamental difference in the human infectious diseases present in the indigenous peoples and that of immigrants. Some viruses, like small pox, have only human hosts and appeared to have never occurred on the North American continent before mass immigrations of the 16th and 17th centuries. This not only meant that the indigenous people lacked genetic resistance to such new infections, and suffered overwhelming mortality when exposed, but-in the port cities, especially, even the immigrant population was subject to epidemic illness when ships arrived carrying ill passengers. Since the wealth of the port was dependent on the docking of ships, but the life of the inhabitants was dependant on quarrentine of sick pasengers, there was strong financial support of public health in cities like New York.

Some viruses, like small pox, have only human hosts and appeared to have never occurred on the North American continent before mass immigrations of the 16th and 17th centuries. This not only meant that the indigenous people lacked genetic resistance to such new infections, and suffered overwhelming mortality when exposed, but-in the port cities, especially, even the immigrant population was subject to epidemic illness when ships arrived carrying ill passengers. Since the wealth of the port was dependent on the docking of ships, but the life of the inhabitants was dependant on quarrentine of sick pasengers, there was strong financial support of public health in cities like New York.

Early on, there was a recognized need for a knowledgable person to be able to inspect the ships, their passengers and crew, and deem whether or not these individuals could disembark.