Internal medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with treating the whole patient. An internal medicine physician, also called an internist, can treat many illnesses and conditions, and is skilled in treating a patient who has several illnesses or disorders at the same time. This internist, who can be a primary care physician, emphasizes disease prevention and wellness, but can treat problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system and reproductive organs, along with mental health or substance abuse issues.

The internal medicine physician can also treat cancer or diseases of the heart, blood, kidneys, joints, and digestive, respiratory and vascular systems, while concentrating on the wellness of the patient as a whole.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Emphysema, Broncho-Esophagology, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Osteoarthritis , Hyper / Hypoglycemia, cystic fibrosis, Diabetes, Asthma, pectus excavatum, osteoporosis, Macular Degeneration, cancer, infection, Autism, Congestive heart failure, Herpes, Hypertension, Heart Attack, and Anemia.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Lithotripsy, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP, dialysis, angioplasty, mechanical ventilation, endoscopy, cardioversion, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), cardiac ablation, and intra-aortic balloon pump.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including FAA-Flight Physicial, physicial / check up, Bone density test, dialysis, physicial examination, Computed Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ultrasound, x-ray, biopsy, Blood Test, Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Upper GI (Barium Swallow), electrolyte test, Lower GI (Barium Enema), stool test, pH probe test, and microbiological culture.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Indiana has 1,733 practicing internal medicine doctors. Broken out by city, internal medicine doctor density in Anderson is 19, in Auburn is 1, in Avon is 25, in Batesville is 11, in Bedford is 16, in Beech Grove is 15, in Bloomington is 29, in Bluffton is 11, in Boonville is 2, in Brazil is 4, in Brownsburg is 9, in Burlington is 1, in Carlisle is 3, in Carmel is 53, in Chesterton is 8, in Clarksville is 16, in Columbia City is 5, in Columbus is 21, in Connersville is 11, in Corydon is 7, in Crawfordsville is 7, in Crown Point is 26, in Danville is 13, in Decatur is 1, in Dillsboro is 1, in Dugger is 2, in Dyer is 12, in East Chicago is 19, in Edinburgh is 3, in Elkhart is 24, in Elwood is 7, in Evansville is 70, in Fishers is 25, in Fort Wayne is 72, in Franklin is 24, in Gary is 15, in Goshen is 5, in Greencastle is 3, in Greenfield is 12, in Greensburg is 6, in Greenwood is 36, in Hammond is 42, in Hebron is 1, in Highland is 17, in Hobart is 5, in Huntington is 2, in Jasper is 11, in Jeffersonville is 25, in Kendallville is 4, in Kentland is 2, in Knox is 5, in Kokomo is 26, in La Porte is 15, in Lafayette is 39, in Lagrange is 3, in Lawrenceburg is 17, in Lebanon is 10, in Loogootee is 1, in Madison is 8, in Marion is 19, in Markleville is 1, in Martinsville is 10, in Merrillville is 60, in Michigan City is 20, in Mishawaka is 6, in Mooresville is 14, in Muncie is 54, in Munster is 51, in New Albany is 16, in Newburgh is 20, in Noblesville is 13, in North Vernon is 12, in Peru is 7, in Plainfield is 10, in Plymouth is 3, in Portage is 12, in Portland is 3, in Princeton is 5, in Richmond is 22, in Rushville is 6, in Scottsburg is 2, in Sellersburg is 8, in Seymour is 4, in Shelbyville is 10, in Sheridan is 1, in South Bend is 50, in Spencer is 1, in Sullivan is 2, in Tell City is 2, in Terre Haute is 43, in Tipton is 3, in Valparaiso is 26, in Vincennes is 13, in Wabash is 4, in Warsaw is 7, in Washington is 1, in West Lafayette is 8, in Westfield is 3, in Whiting is 3, and in Zionsville is 10.

Indiana’s population is 6,271,973, and most of the state’s population is located in the north, near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and is part of the greater metro Chicago area. Indiana became a state in 1816, and boasts many historical sites and covered bridges, numerous state parks and forests, hunting and fishing, and a variety of golf courses. Centrally located Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hosting the world-famous 500-mile auto race every year. This capital and largest city of Indiana also hosts a Civil War museum, a planetarium, and the Indiana Historical Society, among many other attractions.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Indiana has a population of 6,271,973. Of this population, 1,566,280 are under the age of 18 and 774,303 are at or above the age of 65.