History of Medical and Health Sciences Education in Developing Countries

The history of medical education goes back to ancients time, and early medical traditions include those of Babylon, China, Egypt, India, Greeks, Persians, and Romans, when official schools for training physicians were established in early sixteenth century. The medical education between the ninth and eleventh centuries flourish in the Muslim world at centers such as Baghdad, Cairo, and Córdoba. Throughout the Greek world, medical education was based more on experience than on book learning, practical training generally being acquired from a physician-father, or by an aspiring student apprenticing himself to a practitioner for a period of years. Books were used, but only as adjuncts, and they never replaced practical experience. This chapter covers the history of medical and health sciences in developing countries. This chapter includes background about medicine education, pharmacy education, dentistry education, nursing education, public health education, distance, and online education. Moreover, it describes the evolution of medical and health education in the developing countries and compare it with the rest of world.