A short history of medicine
• A Short History of Medicine
"Oh Doctor, I have this terrible pain!"
BC 2000 "Here, eat this root."
AD 1000 "That root is heathen. Say this prayer."
AD 1850 "That prayer is superstition. Drink this potion."
AD 1940 "That potion is snake oil. Swallow this pill."
AD 1985 "That pill is ineffective. Take this antibiotic."
AD 2000 "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root".
(Origin unknown)
• A short history of Baby Care.
“Oh Doctor, how should I look after my baby?”
BC 2000 “Just carry it next to your skin. Breastfeed it whenever it is hungry.”
AD1660 “Breastfeeding is undignified. Hand it over to a wetnurse.”
AD 1850 “Wet-nurses are low class and have an undesirable influence on the child. Get a good experienced nanny to bottle feed it cow’s milk, and wean it on to a cup as soon as possible.”
AD 1930 "Cow’s milk is unsuitable for babies. It must be bottle fed on a special infant formula.”
AD 1950 “Bottle feeding at all hours is bad for the baby. Follow a strict routine, let it sleep in its own room and ignore it when it cries at other times.”
AD 2000 “Bottle feeding is unsuitable, a strict time-table is nonsense, babies don’t like being alone, and crying is stressful. Just carry it next to your skin. Breastfeed it whenever it is hungry.”
(Joan Norton, 2001)
