A medical doctor, also known as a physician (American and Canadian English) or medical practitioner (British English), is a health professional who practices medicine. Medicine aims to promote, maintain or restore health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of disease, injury, and other physical and mental conditions.
Doctors may focus on certain disease categories, types of patients, and methods of treatment, known as specialities. Others work in general practice, providing continuing and comprehensive medical care to individuals, families. Medical practice requires both thorough knowledge of the medical sciences—such as anatomy, physiology, diseases, and their treatment—and strong competence in applying this knowledge in practice, which forms the art or craft of the pro...
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Jackson Memorial from a sky view
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Portrait of Italian scientist Francesco Redi (1626–1697)
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An icon to represent "global thinking".
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:Medical doctors per 1,000 people
Medical doctors include generalist physicians and specialist medi...
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Artistic depiction of the medical profession in the 19th century. A doctor is in the foreground cont...
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The rod of Asclepius as depicted in the WHO logo.