by KYW's medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough
A recent survey looked at the most significant advances in health care in the past one hundred years and there were numerous answers, most of them predictable.
For instance, hi-tech machinery like CAT scans and MRIs were mentioned. The development of various antibiotics and medications to treat high blood pressure were listed. These are all good choices but certain things did not make the list, probably because they were not so obvious.
The first was suggested by former surgeon general C. Everett Koop. When asked about the greatest invention in his long medical life he said plastic. Think about being in a hospital with glass tubing for your glass IV. The other suggestion was the increased importance of studies concerning women.
For decades women’s health was virtually ignored. Even in the situations where we were dealing with problems that affected both sexes like heart disease, women were not studied. The research was done on men and then applied to women.
Today there are specific studies - dozens of them - applying to women. Whether it is breast cancer or the importance of exercise women are analyzed just as closely as men.
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