Organic Chemistry Is useless....

[lan418]

...in another context. I'm going to be making a discussion about how organic chemistry is not used as much in the medical field. Dont take me too seriously, this is just for a fun debate. I understand a few concepts of basic organic chemistry may be crucial, but anything beyond that is not necessary. This topic is solely on the subject itself, NOT on how med schools require and take into consideration how well students do in organic chemistry.

 

I believe that the understanding more complex reactions taught in an organic chemistry course isnt applicable in the field of medicine. I find it more pratical in other fields, such as industrial chemistry. No doubt that they have to maximize profits with efficiency costs of trying to produce a reaction for a final product.

 

But in the doctor's office, how often will the physician even consider a remotely relevant organic reaction for a prognosis or a diagnosis? Perhaps particular prescriptions may contain certain elements of organic compounds in the medicine but how often does the doctor consider it in an organic context rather than from experience and practice? I dont know how many of you have actually asked your doctors a question similar to this but what would a doctor say if you just ask him/her about a simple organic reaction for your homework? I believe most doctors wouldn't remember much. So in this little fun debate, what else can i mention about the issues that combine organic chemistry to the practice of medicine( to physicians)?

 

 

Don't get me wrong, i love organic chemistry.

[woelen]

I don't know much of medicine, but I can imagine that organic chemistry is important, because it helps understand certain reaction mechanisms, e.g. how medicines are metabolized in the body. So, indeed, a physician will not need to do syntheses and in that way he does not use organic chemistry, but I have the feeling that a good understanding of it helps understand certain aspects of medicine also.

[YT2095]

it`s all to do with the branches you may take at any one point along this chain of education.

Organic chem will tell you how to make Aspirin, it will not explain why it works.

Bio Chem is much easier to understand if you have a grounding in Chem esp Organic chem, in Bio-Chem you will learn exactly what aspirin does and how it does it on a cellular level, from then you start working with entire systems on a Macro scale, and so you know what Aspirin will do for someone if they have X condition.

I have books on bio chem and also Pharmacy, some date back to when Arsenic and morphine was available OTC and the apotec would make their own pills and tablets, again, this is another branch you could go down.

so you are partly right, it`s only a little bit usefull in the end, but a much required stepping stone along the way to help you grasp more specialised concepts.

 

I think the only "Medical" proffesion that would deal with every single one of these stages equaly would be autopsies and forensics.

[insane_alien]

well, seeing as 999999/1000000 drugs(probably more) are organic molecules i'd say that organic chemistry would play a damn big role in medicine. in a course like biochem you are learning a very specific part of organic chemistry. how a few(still a lot) of organic molecules react within a cellular structure. this is organic chemistry but just at a different level.

[budullewraagh]

Orgo is extremely important, not to doctors, but to pharmaceutical companies. Yes, it's really, really rare that a new and useful type of reaction mechanism is developed, but every day new biologically active molecules are synthesized in the lab. Currently I'm working on an anti-pancreatic cancer molecule. Think it's useless? Wait a few years and see what new molecules we come up with.

[lan418]

im sorry for not starting off with a clear debate. Organic chemistry is useless for the practical use of a doctor.

[YT2095]

not really, if someone it poisoned chemicaly, then it`s up to the doc to know what to give in order to counter it.

[lan418]

yes but the doctor will know what to do through their practice and experience in their residency, not just based solely on the application of organic processes to counteract a poison. It seems like more knowing than understanding through training.

[YT2095]

but Knowing this at one time or another during education IS Training.

take a 1`st aid course, it`s suprising what you`ll remember 10 years after taking it

[budullewraagh]

to doctors orgo itself isn't particularly useful. however, the class itself is extremely useful to admissions officers as well as students. after taking orgo, premeds will know what will be required of them, time and commitment-wise. admissions officers will also get a good glimpse at the potential and abilities of an orgo student.

[woelen]

This whole discussion reminds me of my own studies. I studied electrical engineering and I had to learn a lot about the physics and the chemistry of making integrated circuits. It even went so far that I had to be able to compute 3D potential fields in semiconductor devices and I also had to know all kinds of chemistry of silicon in more detail than I wanted at that time. Right now, I'm not using that knowledge anymore, but yet, I think it is good that I had to study it. It gives basic understanding and now I do understand much better how electronic circuits work, even if these are built with discrete components. I have some foundation of knowledge and understanding.

 

In a similar way I'm quite sure that people who study medicine also need to have a foundation of knowledge and understanding. This understanding may help them to take wise decision about situations, which they are not trained for. This understanding also helps being creative and make you better at your work.