Scurtă istorie a diagnosticului medical și evoluția laboratorului clinic

Abstract

Although rudimentary examinations of human body fluids date back to the time of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates around 300 BC, it was not until 1896 that the first clinical laboratory was opened, a twelve-foot-by-twelve-foot room equipped at a cost of 50$ at Johns Hopkins Hospital. At that time, most “laboratories” consisted of little more than a corner in physicians' homes, offices or hospital wards, with some physicians performing the procedures themselves. From tasting urine to microscopy and to molecular testing, the sophistication of diagnostic techniques has come a long way and continues to develop at breakneck speed. The history of the laboratory is the story of medicine's evolution, moving from an empirical to an experimental phase, with bases in all linked domains (chemistry, physics, anatomy, biology etc.) and proving that the clinical lab is a true source of medical authority.