Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of undifferentiated and multi-system diseases and their consequences. It is derived from the German word ‘Innere Medizin’ meaning internal medicine. The doctors were known to be internal medicine doctors or internists because they focused on the “inner” diseases instead of the external manifestations of those diseases. It explores the underlying pathological causes of symptoms and syndromes with the help of laboratory and clinical assessment of bedside patients and emergency wards.

Thomas Sydenham, the father of English Medicine, also developed Nosology-the study of diseases via the clinical approach of diagnosis and management by careful bedside study of the natural history of diseases and their treatment. He took part in the dissection of corpses and scrutinized the internal working of the body for considering the internal mechanics and causes of symptoms.

Following his research, in the 18th Century, there was a high rise in anatomical pathology and laboratory studies combined with the clinical approach with the process of investigations. The research became very prominent with the contribution of pioneer doctors.
Internists or Internal Medicine physicians have multiple roles in a hospital. They tend to various types of illnesses and diagnoses.

Due to the complex nature of illnesses and multisystem examinations, internists are highly trained in illnesses and disorders of all parts of the body.
They are expected to address undifferentiated presentations of complexities that cannot be classified within the expertise of single-organ specialists, for example, Dyspnoea, weight loss, change in a conscious state, etc.
They act as primary care physicians wherever required.
Their training extends beyond adult patients, it also involves surgeries, obstetrics, and pediatrics.
They are the first responding doctors for medical emergencies.
Most internists work with medical groups or large hospital system, they see their patients in an office setting.