Nowadays we are well aware of the dangers involved with smoking. Despite this, cigarettes were once recommended by medical professionals as valid treatments for a variety of complications…including asthma.
Category: Modern
“Living Babies in Incubators”: A Lifesaving Sideshow Attraction
Posted by in Individuals, Modern Baby incubators have been able to save hundreds of thousands of young lives. The story of how incubators went from being used in zoos…to sideshows… and finally in hospitals is as fascinating and mind-boggling as it sounds.
Christmas Disease: The Little Boy whose Blood Would Not Clot
Posted by in Individuals, Modern Christmas disease, also known as hemophilia B is a rare genetic disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly. Learn more about the first boy to be diagnosed with Hemophilia B.
From Hearse to Hospital: Funeral Homes and Emergency Transportation Services
Posted by in Modern Ambulances did not always look like the ones we see today, large rectangular vehicles with flashing sirens. As with most things, the ambulance changed little by little over the course of many years. Perhaps one of the strangest facts about the history of emergency transportation services was that funeral homes use to be the primary…Read more »
Cow Pox Pustules and Vaccines
Posted by in Individuals, Modern Vaccines have been able to save countless lives from viruses that were once capable of wiping out entire cities. The idea of immunization has been around for hundred of years, but it did not begin being used on a large scale until the end of the 16th century. For example, Monks were known to drink…Read more »
Madness and Mental Asylums: A Brief History
Posted by in Mental Health, Modern A lot of people tend to think of abuse, neglect, and filth when they consider what an asylum was back in the day. Of course, there are instances where this interpretation stands completely accurate, but, for many patients, asylums were also seen as safe havens where they were cared for and understood. This post will…Read more »
Laser Vision Correction & Why I Study Medical History
Posted by in Modern “So, medical history huh? What made you decide to focus on that?” This is a question that seems to come up whenever I meet somebody new. If I’m honest, I typically don’t have a great answer at ready. I end up stumbling around; trying to muster up a super compelling reason behind my life choices.…Read more »
Patients and Pain: A Brief History of Anesthesia
(Photo Credit: Crucial Interventions) Let us begin this conversation with an exercise. Imagine yourself laying on a wooden operating table. The bloody residue from past victims..(er patients) is still visible. A crowd of people are seated around the room and all are eager to witness the upcoming spectacle. An infected compound tibia got you into this…Read more »
Antiquated Antidotes 