Medical Miracles on the Horizon The world and its inhabitants will face a multitude of problems in the21st Century, including drug addiction, deadly disease, violent crime, warfareand hostility, hunger, and homelessness to name a few.
All of these criticalissues have been present to some extent in the 20th Century and, left unsolved,will continue to plague society and mankind as we enter the new millennium. Aswe rapidly approach the next era, new issues of equal or even greater importancefor mankind will almost certainly arise. I personally envision health issues,concerns related directly to medicine, as the central, most critical andcomprehensive problem facing leaders of the 21st Century. In my opinion, physicians and others associated with the medicalprofession will participate in one of the most vital and urgent roles enteringinto the new era. This is one of the reasons that I intend to pursue a careerin the medical field after I graduate from The University of Tennessee.
Of alloccupations in the next millennium, medicine will be perhaps the most importantand influential in combating the problems of mankind and in solving them. People in the field of medicine will continue, as they have in thiscentury, to address and participate in almost all concerns. For example,methadone is currently being used as a therapeutic intervention for some drugaddictions. In addition, various medications are now being given in thetreatment of criminals, like anti-psychotic drugs to curb aggressive or violentbehavior in schizophrenics. A new and improved group of antidepressants isalso being used to treat and reduce the growing rate of suicide in all ages ofour society.
Because a very high percentage of homeless people suffer frompsychological problems and/or drug addictions, doctors may also eventually playa larger role in prescribing medication for these individuals. Concerningwarfare that may be present into the 21st Century, the medical community will berequired to detect and treat a variety of injuries and illnesses, just as theyhave had to decipher and work on patients who fell victim to the Gulf WarSyndrome. Any future wars may have even more insidious side-effects due to theuse of lethal chemicals. Cures have been found for many illnesses, such as polio, smallpox, andvarious childhood diseases in the present century, but other health concerns aremanifesting rapidly.
One of the most important task doctors and researchscientists may face is to fight new strains of deadly diseases in the comingyears. Outbreaks of eboli and the emergence of diseases that are drug-resistantto antibiotics threaten the survival of mankind. If humanity is to thrive and prosper in the 21st Century, eachindividual must do his or her own part to deal with the problems that arepresently in existence as well as to prepare for the potential problems of thefuture. The path I will choose in solving some of the current and futureconsiderations for mankind is the field of medicine. In other words, I want tobe a part of the solution for the issues that face my own generation, as well asbenefiting past and future generations. No one person can solve all of thedilemmas.
It will take a concerted effort by a multitude of individuals in avariety of occupations and by concerned humanitarians who work for their owncauses to improve living conditions and the quality of life in the next era. Doctors, scientists, teachers, social workers, politicians, leaders,and virtually every other segment of the population must team up in a jointeffort to eradicate the serious issues facing our society in the 21st Century. For example, the leaders of the 21st Century must seek new methods andalternative plans to ensure the “well-being” of others as the Preamble of theUnited States Constitution declares as a basic “right. ” The leaders in ourgovernment need to go out into society, talk with people, study the pertinentconcerns, and actively participate in finding solutions.
They should askquestions such as: what should we do, how do we do it, and what is working foryou? These leaders need to enlist the help of the medical community so thatthey may better realize and more fully understand that the hospitals andresearch centers need additional funds for new treatments, better facilities,and updated technology. In addition, a comprehensive health care program mustbe developed that is satisfactory to the citizens as well as to the health careprofessionals. In the field of medicine, we have much to look forward to as the newcentury begins. Great progress is currently being made in the medical field ofgenetics.
In the 21st Century, it is very possible that many incurable diseasessuch as autism, diabetes, and others may be eliminated. Physicians andscientists are even showing some hope for a future cure for AIDS, a terrifyingand rapidly spreading disease that is now in the top ten causes of death. Another field of medicine that will be extremely vital in the next era is thatof geriatrics. As life expectancy continues to rise and our society continuesto age, the field will undoubtably become one of the most exciting and criticalof all.
Many medical miracles are on the horizon because significantbreakthroughs are pending, for the flu, for spinal cord injuries, forParkinson’s, and for many others. I truly believe that many diseases will beeradicated in the next millennium, and I look forward to being an activeparticipant in finding the cures as well as treating the needy. I am still in the process of exploring, investigating, and evaluatingthe various options of the medical profession and have not yet decided whichspecialized path to follow. But I know that the profession of medicine is whereI need to be, where I want to be, and where I will someday be.
I am veryfocused, self-motivated, and determined in obtaining my goal to become aphysician. Being a successful Medical Doctor means helping other people andsolving complex problems in the next era, and this is what I will strive to do. I firmly believe that the world and its inhabitants will face amultitude of problems in the 21st Century, both old ones and new ones. In myopinion, the solution for most of these critical issues will be in some wayrelated to the field of medicine, either through diagnosis, research, ortreatment. Still, all segments of society must work together to make the newmillennium prosperous and successful for all.My first step in being an activepart of this concerted effort will be to earn my degree from the University ofTennessee so that I may one day reach my goal to be an active participant in themedical community and to fulfill my desire to help others.
