1.Origins of Pediatrics

Pediatrics is a branch of medicine that deals with the health and medical care of children from birth to the age of 18. The word ‘pediatrics’ comes from the Greek, namely pais which means child, and iatros which means doctor or healer. Pediatrics is a medical specialty that only emerged in the mid-19th century; Abraham Jacobi (1830-1919) is considered the father of pediatrics.

2.Role of Pediatrician

Pediatricians are doctors who not only provide medical care for children with acute or chronic illnesses, but also provide preventive health services for healthy children. Pediatricians protect children’s physical, mental and emotional well-being at all stages of development, regardless of illness or health.

3.The Purpose of Pediatrics

The goals of pediatrics are to reduce infant and child mortality, control the spread of infectious diseases, promote healthy lifestyles and help alleviate the condition of children and adolescents who have chronic health problems

• Pediatricians diagnose and treat the following conditions in children:
• Injury.
• Infection.
• Genetic and inherited conditions.
• Cancer.
• Organ disease and dysfunction.

The focus of pediatrics is not only on the immediate treatment of sick children, but also on the long-term effects on quality of life, disability, and survival. Pediatricians are also involved in the prevention, early detection and management of health problems which include:

• Developmental delays and disorders.
• Behavioral problems.
• Functional disability.
• Social pressure.
• Mental disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders.

4.Cooperate with Other Specialists

Pediatrics is a collaborative specialty, which means pediatricians need to work closely with other medical specialists and health care professionals, as well as pediatrics subspecialties to help treat children who have problems.

5.Pediatrics is different from treatment for adults

There is more than one difference between pediatric and adult medicine. Infants and children need to be understood more carefully because of their smaller body postures which are physiologically different substantially from the adult body. So, taking care of children is not like taking care of mini versions of adults.

Birth defects, genetic variation, and developmental problems are more important to pediatricians than to doctors treating adults. In addition, there are some legal issues in the field of pediatrics.

Responding to problems regarding medical decision-making for minors needs to be considered more deeply by every pediatrician. This is simply because minors have not been able to make decisions on their own, as a result, issues of guardianship, privacy, legal responsibility and consent must be accompanied