Throughout the history of humankind, medical revelations have greatly improved the living conditions of people worldwide. As doctors gained a better understanding of the human body and diseases, they learned how to prevent infections, stop epidemics, and even eradicate certain maladies. Many practitioners, in their quest for development and perfection, faced challenges that required them to make difficult decisions. Sometimes these tasks might have seemed daunting and forbidding, yet doctors did not relinquish their visions of a better future that is one rid of illnesses and aches. In my opinion, the motives doctors have to accept such challenges are the determination to help people directly dependent on them, the desire to contribute to medical science and to inspire others.
First of all, in all of us there exists an innate instinct for mutual preservation by which all people abide. One implementation of this quality is the Hippocratic Oath, taken by all doctors, who swear to treat their patients ethically and do their utmost to protect the lives they were entrusted with. Thus, medical practitioners would generally feel obliged to help the diseased, even when they are terminally ill or have an unknown condition. For example, when the great Black Death plagues raged through Europe, a community of doctors came forth and tried to help alleviate the pains of the sick and limit the spread of the disease. These people risked contracting the plague, but eventually they helped stem the epidemics.
Second, by helping people locally, doctors might play a role in helping better understand new and unknown diseases. Most practitioners have a routine of writing down notes on each individual patient they have, which summarizes their symptoms, treatment, and likely disease. Such notes can be of great scientific value as they are first-hand records that may assist in systematizing new maladies. For instance, the experiments of the Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay aided the investigation of the cause of yellow fever. Physicians used his notes to support their hypothesis that mosquitoes transmitted the infection, which is the accepted theory nowadays.
Finally, doctors might be motivated to face hard challenges because that could serve as a model for other people to follow. Many Third World counties have issues with supplying sufficient medical equipment and enough medics for their needs and have to rely on non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders for medical care. Doctors, who take up the challenge of living with only the most rudimentary necessities of life and trying to save as many lives as possible, probably hope that by setting an example others will also follow them and support the cause.
To sum up, many doctors may be willing to face daunting challenges if they would enable them to help ill people, enrich our medical knowledge, and help set a role model.
