Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics or pædiatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends people be under pediatric care up to the age of 21. A medical doctor who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician, or paediatrician. They are trained to diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses, from minor health problems to serious diseases.
The word “pediatrics” comes from the Greek words pais (παῖς), meaning “child”, and iatros (ἰατρός), meaning “doctor” or “healer”. Pediatrics emerged as a distinct discipline during the 19th century when doctors began to specialize in caring for children instead of treating all patients regardless of their age. In 1852 British physician Hugh Latimer Warner first used the term “paediatrics” in his book A Systematic View of the Principles and Practice of Medicine.
During the Victorian era many new vaccines were developed and successfully tested on animals before being trialed on humans; these included vaccinations for smallpox, rabies, anthrax, cholera and typhoid fever. These discoveries led to an increase in life expectancy for both adults and children alike by preventing deadly epidemics that had previously claimed many lives. However, it was not until 1899 that French physician Georges Heymans proposed the concept of preventive pediatrics with his article La Médecine Préventive des Enfants Malades (Preventive Medicine for Sick Children). This marked a significant shift in thinking about child health care as it placed emphasis on prevention rather than treatment alone.
Today pediatrics is a rapidly evolving field with new discoveries being made all the time. Advances in medical technology have resulted in more effective treatments for conditions such as cancer and heart defects, while greater understanding of how diseases develop has led to improved methods of prevention. As our knowledge grows so too does our ability to provide better care for future generations