Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. Etymologically, the name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gastros (stomach), enteron (intestine), and logos (reason). Diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the organs from mouth to anus, along the alimentary canal, are the focus of this specialty. Physicians practicing in this field of medicine are called gastroenterologists. Important advances have been made in the last fifty years, contributing to rapid expansion of its scope. Hepatology, or hepatobiliary medicine, encompasses the study of the liver, pancreas, and biliary tree and is traditionally considered a sub-specialty....read more at Wikipedia

Fast Facts:

• Gastroenterology includes common and important conditions such as colon polyps and cancer, hepatitis, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), peptic ulcer disease, colitis, gallbladder and biliary tract disease, nutritional problems, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and pancreatitis.¹
• Philip Bozzini made the first attempt in 1805, to look inside the living human body using a tube he named Lichtleiter (light guiding instrument) to examine the urinary tract, the rectum, and the pharynx. This is the earliest description of endoscopy.²
• In 2005, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren of Australia were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of Helicobacter pylori.²