Formation of the World Health Organization

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Health Organization was established on April 7th 1948, inheriting the mandate and resources of its League of Nations predecessor, the Health Organization. The official objective of WHO is “the attainment by all people of the highest possible health,” a point illustrated by the agency’s flag; the Rod of Asclepius, a symbol for healing.

Structure

The World Health Organisation has 193 member states, who each appoint delegations to the World Health Assembly, WHOs supreme decision making body. Representatives of WHO’s member states meet once annually, usually in May, to discuss topics such as budgets and research methods, while a Director-General is appointed once every five years. In terms of financing, WHO is funded by contributions from member states as well as donors and other external benefactors. They also work closely with a number of partners and collaborative bodies and charities, who themselves provide additional financial support.

Activities

As well as directing and coordinating global health matters, the World Health Organization sponsors a number of authorities who are dedicated to preventing the continuing outbreak and spread of diseases such as SARS, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza and HIV/AIDS. Under the WHOs guidance and with their blessings and support, a number of safe and effective vaccines and drugs have been developed to help reduce the number of fatalities related to such disease, while in 1980, after more than twenty years of research, the organisation also announced the eradication of the disease smallpox. This announcement was significant in that it was the first known disease to be abolished by human efforts.

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Heart Surgery

About 40 years ago, the South African Doctor Christian Barnard was the first cardiologist who executed a heart transplant. At that point in time, a heart transplant meant an enormous surgical challenge and thus Barnard earned worldwide respect for this surgical intervention. Nowadays, doing heart, kidney or liver transplants is part of surgical routine in many hospitals and no longer an extraordinary case.

Laser Surgery

Not only heart surgery has advanced. In the course of time, new surgical techniques are applied in many medical fields. For example the application of laser has opened many doors in beauty surgery and in reconstructive surgery. Laser techniques are perfectly suitable for treatment after an accident. Under application of laser, scars and disfigurement can be minimized up to a certain degree or can even be completely corrected. Laser surgery has also become extremely popular when it comes to the correction of near- or farsightedness. Many people have already opted for laser surgery because they wanted to get rid of glasses and contact lenses. Laser surgery or the so-called “Lasik” technique, is a modern method to correct extreme near- or farsightedness. However, Lasik also bears certain risks and is not applicable to any case. People suffering from other conditions i.e. heart or kidney disease, should carefully consider all the risks.

Endoscopy and Surgery

Another important issue in modern surgery is endoscopic surgery, also called “keyhole surgery”. Endoscopy minimizes operating risks, operating time and consequently the patient does not remain in hospital as long as under application of usual operating techniques. This is also an important factor for health insurance providers when calculating costs and expenses for operation, treatment and hospital stay.

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In the last thirty years science research results in disciplines like cellular or molecular biology. Both have led to innovative and striking treatments against cancer. Especially the sequencing of the human genome and the decoding of nearly 25.000 genes reveals several molecular mechanisms of developing cancer. Genetic mutations might occur at different levels in human cells. Changes in the nucleotide sequence of genomic DNA yield in observable mutations. Nowadays modern laboratory equipment and methods are able to detect these different mutations. On the other hand in the last decade researchers worked to identify several pathways of the development of cancer cells and to find new drugs. For instance they have identified a new protein involved in the processing of drug resistance.

Breast cancer – The development of a new therapy

It is known that in the United Kingdom nearly 46.000 women developed breast cancer each year. More than two thirds of breast tumors possess estrogen receptors. These breast tumors need estrogen for growing. They can be treated with anti-estrogen drugs. Unfortunately, lots of patients are resistant to this treatment. The researchers compared DNA sequences of humans and chimpanzees in a special gene. They found that substantial differences have evolved in the two species. Based on these results the scientists designed a new therapy for breast cancer. A mechanism which is called angiogenesis is a very useful tool. That described how vessels supply blood to the cancer cells. Cancer cell growth, the inhibition of estrogen receptors or the angiogenesis are targets for new drug design.

Genetic Testing

Because of the well-known molecular mechanisms in the last decade another way of cancer diagnosis and medication is developed. Some individuals show a very high risk to suffer from cancer. Carriers of mutations were revealed by genetic testing in modern labs. Subsequently a useful therapy with cemopreventation or preventative surgery can be applied to reduce the risk of those patients. Anti-estrogen drugs and genetic testing are very useful against breast cancer. They allow women with this disease to live much longer. The resistance of these drugs is a great problem and a question for further investigations.

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The most serious diseases of the last three centuries

One of the most serious diseases during the last centuries were the smallpox. Smallpox are caused by an aggressive virus. Experts estimate that until the end of the 18th century 400.000 people were killed by this disease every year. Even in the 20th century the smallpox were responsible for up to 500 cases of death. The virus attacks the skin cells and causes pimples; infected persons get fever and chills. In very serious cases the sick people get pneumonia or lose their hearing ability. If infected people had a weak immune system they often had no chance to survive. Another serious illness in past centuries was tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is an infection that attacks human organs, especially the lungs. Symptoms are loss of weight, fever, appetite loss and a strong cough. Mineworkers who inhaled a lot of toxic dust were often affected by tuberculosis. Until antibiotics were developed at the beginning of the 20th century a lot of people died as a result of tuberculosis.

The progress of medicine from the 18th century until today

In the 18th century there were particularly some progresses in surgery. In spite of this, many hospitals in Europe were founded. At the end of the century poor people could get medicine for free at so called dispensaries. The Scottish surgeon James Lind was the first person who discovered that eating fresh fruits could prevent scurvy, a serious vitamin c deficiency. In 1816 the stethoscope was invented and the doctor John Snow found out that the cholera was caused by infested water. 1885 a boy who had been bitten by a dog who had rabies was successfully vaccinated. In the 20th century the first blood transfusion was made and many drugs were developed. In 1928 penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming but it was not widely spread until the outburst of World War II. The invention of antibiotic can be called one of the most important achievements of humanity.

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How does the Da Vinci Surgical System work?

The “Da Vinci Surgery” is used for laparoscopic, endoscopic and thoracoscopic procedures. There will be a very small cut on the skin and a camera will be placed inside the body and the doctor can start the operation. He has a control pad on the remote computer and that’s where he will make all the commands and it will send a signal to the machine.

The advantages of the Da Vinci Surgical System

This machine helps promote a more sterilized ambiance for the patient and it lessens infections. With this machine, there are many advantages that the patient and the doctor benefits from. For the doctor, this machine can reach difficult to reach places at ease without endangering the life of the patient. There is less blood loss because of the minimal break on the skin integrity. It also takes little time to do the operation and closing the surgical area compared to having a major surgery. For the patient, it makes them recover faster because of the very small incision made on the skin. It is less dangerous for them because of the more precise operation.

What is it used for?

The “Da Vinci Surgical System” is made use for heart surgery, prostate cancer operations, mitral valve regurgitation and other medical condition that’s supposed to require major surgery. But with the “Da Vinci Surgical System” the patients has the freedom to choose between a major surgery and the use of “Da Vinci Surgical System”. Surgeons are glad to have a “Da Vinci Surgical System” in their operating room. This helps them and makes their job a lot easier.

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