The Importance of Organic Chemistry
in Medicine

	Organic chemistry has been highly disregarded as a

	discipline of importance for medical and premedical

	curriculums. At present, however, people are

	beginning to make the connection between organic

	chemistry and its importance in the medical field.



	New curriculums are being designed that unite organic

	chemistry and biomedical processes.  Task forces

	consisting of chemistry and biology researchers and

	professors have been formed to design curriculums that

	incorporate organic chemistry courses to suit the

	needs of students in medical fields. These task forces

	are attempting to develop a practical, comprehensive

	approach to organic chemistry as it applies to medicine.



	Organic chemistry is essential in biological and medical

	fields. All living organisms are composed of abundances

	of organic substances. Evolution of life has been

	postulated to have been developed from one single organic

	compound called a nucleotide. Nucleotides polymerize, or

	join together to form the building blocks of all life,

	DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).



	Organic compounds constitute various substances in the

	body which are vital for life to be sustained. Proteins,

	carbohydrates and lipids are organic compounds that

	contribute to the structure of the human body.

	Organic compounds also make up enzymes and catalysts

	that are mandatory for essential biological processes

	to occur. Also, organic compounds are responsible for

	governing ion transport channels in the cell which

	function in carrying information from one cell to another

	and mediating cell to cell communication. Failure of ion

	transport may result in failure of important biological

	processes in the body.



	Pharmaceuticals are also comprised mainly of organic

	compounds. What doctor would be efficient if he or she

	was not familiar with the structure and function of the

	drugs they were administering? Organic chemistry of

	pharmaceuticals must be understood to properly prescribe

	a drug to a patient.



	The function of organic processes in the body must also

	be known by the doctor even before they attempt to

	administer any drugs. Many medical disorders are due

	to disruption of organic molecules in the body: for

	example, hemophilia. This is a disease in which

	caroxyglutamic acid is deficient in the body. This

	organic compound is essential for blood clotting to

	occur within the body. People who lack this substance

	may die due to a minor cut or small bruise. This

	demonstrates the importance of organic compounds in

	the body.



	Carbon monoxide poisoning is an example of a very

	simple, yet extremely toxic organic compound that even

	in small quantities can cause death. Many toxic

	substances are of organic descent. Doctors must be

	able to determine the effects of these toxic substances

	in the body, recognize the symptoms they are associated

	with, and prescribe the appropriate pharmaceutical to

	combat the poison.



	It is evident that organic molecules are essential for

	the sustenance of all life. Understanding these compounds

	is crucial in the medical field not only to understand

	basic biological functions, but also to predict scenarios

	in the body which may be due to disruption of organic

	substances, or adverse reactions due to foreign organic

	substances in the body. Complete medical efficiency will

	only be achieved when the science of organic chemistry

	is understood.