Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine, nonsurgical medical specialty concerned with diseases of internal organs in adults. Physicians who specialize in the field, known as internists, are skilled in disease prevention and in managing complex disorders of the body. Internists may be either generalists or specialists. General internists typically act as personal physicians, developing long-term relationships with patients. Internists give patients regular physical examinations, offer preventive care, diagnose and treat most nonsurgical illnesses, and refer serious or unusual cases to an appropriate specialist. If a patient complains of persistent stomach problems, for example, a general internist might refer the patient to a gastroenterologist, an internist who specializes in disorders of the digestive system. Within the field of internal medicine, nine subspecialties are recognized: cardiology , the treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels; endocrinology , the study of glands and other structur