If we look at the history of medicine during last 100 years, it has moved from organism to organ, from organ to cell and from cell to molecular properties. The vast increase of medical knowledge during the 20th century has contributed to increasing complexity of specialization within the medical profession. There are at present 20 recognized specialties and many more subspecialties.
Some specialties have emerged based on clearly defined skills such as surgery, radiology, and anesthesia, some based on parts of the body such as ENT ophthalmology, cardiology and gynecology and some based on particular age groups such as pediatrics, geriatrics, and obstetrics. Again in each specialty, there has been a growth of subspecialties as for example, neonatology, perinatology, pediatric cardiology, pediatric neurology, and pediatric surgery – all in pediatrics. A super specialist or subspecialist…
