Gerontology: Emergency and development and Formation of specialties and their origins
Gerontology is a comprehensive discipline that studies the prolongation of human life and human aging. The origin and development of Gerontology have a long history, it can be traced back to ancient Eastern and Western chemistry and the study of human longevity. Let's wrap up a simple look at Gerontology
Emergence and development of Gerontology
Gerontology has a long history, it can be traced back to ancient Eastern and Western chemistry and the study of human longevity, but the holistic discipline of Gerontology is being formed in modern times. In the Forties of the last century, biologists coined a new term Gerontology based on the Latin word Geron (old man) and logos (discipline).
Since then, Gerontology has integrated research on human aging and the elderly, becoming an umbrella term for the subject. In 1938, a British group of scientists organized an International Association called the Society for Research on Aging", many meetings were held from 1939 to 1945, which had an important impact on the promotion of Aging Research in various countries. At the same time, many countries of the world have successively established Gerontological associations
Gerontology has formed a comprehensive system in modern times, this is due to the following factors:
(1) the aging of people.
Due to the development of Science, the progress of society, and other factors, the life expectancy of people is increasing day by day, so the proportion of the number of people who have reached old age in the total population is gradually increasing. Demography generally believes that the proportion of the elderly population over the age of 60 or over 65 reaches 10% or 7%, respectively, which is called the aging of the population. This situation did not exist in antiquity and the Middle Ages when human lifespans were generally shorter. In the seventies of the XIX century, France became the first country in the world to experience an aging population.
(2) the industrialization of modern society
has brought about changes in the social structure and family structure, and also made the commitment to support the elderly who have partially switched from the family to society; the developed productive forces of industrial society empower both the elderly and individuals of society. The society collects and provides old-age living Security, Social Security, pensions, etc.
(3) the development of modern medical science
provides a scientific guarantee of prolonging the life of the elderly.
(4) with the development of urbanization and modern society,
the social vision of elderly people has become increasingly prominent, and they have become an attention-grabbing group in society.
Formation of specialties and their origins
Gerontology is a comprehensive subject formed based on the emergence and development of such marginal topics as Geriatrics, Gerontology biology, Gerontology psychology, and the sociology of aging. The four aspects mentioned above are the subspecialties of Gerontology.
Geriatrics
The first research on human aging appeared in the medical field. Its purpose is to cure the disease and prolong life. The development of alchemy in the Ancient East and West can be considered ancient geriatrics in a sense. For more than 2000 years, there have been many records about Geriatrics from ancient Western medical scientists such as Hippocrates in Greece and Cicero in Rome, there are also accounts of diseases of old age. In the IX century, doctor, Avicenna, compiled the medicine, known as the classics of geriatrics. In 1909, the Austrian-American physician Nacho coined the term Geriatrics based on the Latin Geras (old age) and strikes (treatment), wrote and published the book Geriatrics (1916). Gerontology has since evolved into a distinct field.
Biology of aging
Its main topic is the physiological mechanism of human aging. This research began with the ancient search for longevity. In the XVIII century. In the Seventies, there were more than 100 theories about the mechanism of human aging. Among them, such as the theory of the genetic clock, the theory of somatic mutations, the theory of protein synthesis error, the theory of free radicals, the theory of cross-linking, the theory of waste products, the theory of immunity, the theory of the brain aging center, etc., Not only are breakthroughs important in theory, some of them have clinical significance. These studies lay the foundation for the biology of aging.
Psychology of aging
Psychological research on the elderly arose from concerns about changes in intelligence in old age. It is known that the first academic research on the psychology of aging was initiated by the Belgian social statistician La kettle in the XIX century. In his book" on the development of Man and his talents " (1835), he described the process of psychological development of man over the past sixty years. The book "Old Age", was published by the American psychologist G. S.
Hall in 1922, is considered the first textbook devoted to the study of the psychology of the elderly. After World War II, psychological research on Aging and aging focused in the United States made significant progress. For example, in 1946 the American Psychological Association added the section "maturity and aging". In 1946, Cambridge University established the Nuffield Institute of aging and so on.
Sociology of aging
With the increase in the number of older people in the population, social issues such as the aging of the population have become one of the concerns of sociologists. Published in 1948, it is considered the book Social adaptation in old age by the American researcher O.
Pollack is an early seminal study on the sociology of aging. Since then, in the research on Aging and the elderly, some important social theories such as role theory, structural function theory, etc. have had an important influence and laid the theoretical foundation for the sociology of the elderly.
Subject of discussion
The main scope of research on Aging includes:
- Prevention and treatment of geriatric diseases ،
- Health care for the elderly.
- Geriatrics ،
- Anti-aging and Anti-Aging Clinical Research ،
- And the investigation and search for longevity, etc.
Exploring the mechanisms of human aging and the causes of aging
- Anatomy and signs of aging of human organs ،
- Research on the aging of human cells ،
- And immune changes of aging, etc.;
- Feeling and perception in the elderly.
- And intelligence in the elderly ،
- Speech disorders in the elderly.
- Psychosis in the elderly.
Personality, psychological adaptation in the elderly, etc.;
- Development and trend of population aging ،
- Socio-economic consequences and aging of the population ،
- Social characteristics of old age.
- The economic well-being of the elderly ،
- Social care for the elderly ،
- Education of the elderly.
- Employment and work of the elderly ،
- Family and marriage of older people ،
- Delinquency of the elderly.
- Crime and victims of crime ،
- Seniors and religion ،
- The lifestyle of the elderly.
Social Survey of the elderly. With the development of Gerontology Research.
There was a tendency to infiltrate multiple disciplines, which led to the emergence of new branches and research areas. such as Gerontology demography, Gerontology economics, and Gerontology policy. and Gerontology sports.