Question

Write an essay of 1000 words about the contributions of John Hunter to modern-day medicine? With title. Subheadings. Conclusion and references?

Answer 1

" THE HUNTERIAN MUSEUM"

Hunter applied his scientific conclusions to concepts of wound healing, transplantation, heart disease, orthopedics and pathology. As he conducted his research, Hunter compiled specimens and notes into one of his greatest contributions to medicine: the Hunterian Museum.

Though initially considered a difficult young man, Hunter eventually evolved into a skilled surgeon whose passion for research would pave the way for future leaders in his field.

CONTRIBUTION TO SURGERY-

He helped transform surgery from a manual craft to an experimental science.

Much of Hunter’s work focused on the pathology of infectious conditions, such as tuberculosis, suppuration in abscesses, bone lesions and osteomyelitis. He was one of the first physicians to concentrate on these infectious conditions in relation to surgery and consequently was one of the first to understand the importance of infection control in surgery.

CONTRIBUTION TO INFLAMMATION-

In Hunter’s posthumous publication, “A Treatise on Blood, Inflammation and Gun-shot Wounds,” he noted the significance of inflammation and examined its causes as well as its subsequent effect on tissue damage in soldiers who sustained severe gunshot injuries. Hunter’s conclusions caused him to adhere to a conservative viewpoint: surgery and amputation should be a last resort. Though his ideas were disputed at the time, Hunter was ultimately proven correct.

CONTRIBUTION TO DENTISTRY-

He wrote important works on teeth and began scientific dentistry in Great Britain.

Hunter’s museum preparations also illustrate his growing grasp of bone resorption. After conducting numerous experiments on animals, including transplanting human teeth into a cock’s comb, Hunter advocated tooth transplantation for dentists of his time. Although original attempts at tooth transplantation in humans met with failure due to graft rejection, Hunter gained insight into the need for “freshness of transplanted tissue” as well as “matching for size” of transplanted organs.