I'm in Laughlin Nevada this weekend on some unrelated business. I mention it only because yesterday I caught a headline in the office that stated that researchers had determined that the diet of the expectant mother can determine the sex of their child.
I found that interesting because I recently went through the Book of Medicine and highlighted some of the more interesting passages and concepts. One of those covered the diet and exercise practices that the father and mother should adhere to if they wanted to influence the sex of their child. When the book was written, they only had statistics to go on and very few testable procedures. Plus, it wasn't like they could turn things over to a clinical laboratory service and outsource part of their work 100 years ago.
So when I get back, I look forward to sharing some of the crazy ideas in the book, and some of the crazy ideas that were once debunked and now considered cutting edge.
Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:
- Difficulty of Obviating Lead Poisoning
Difficulty of Obviating Lead Poisoning. — attempts have been made to obviate the danger of water contamination from lead pipes in various ways, but not as yet with complete success. In some instances the pipes have been lined with other metals, such as tin or zinc; but, at least in some instances, a galvanic action has thus been set up, which corroded the conduits with great rapidity, and probably lead, therefore, still more dangerous pollution of the water supply. Coating the pipes on the inside with coal tar, bituminous varnish, solution of gutta-percha and the India rubber, have also been experimented with, as yet with but partial success.
Well those prescriptions sound about as useful as most prescriptions for acne treatments today. Again, I would remind everyone that the quote above is from a 100 year old medical book and the preventative steps offered really only offer historical perspective.
- Wonderful It All Is
Wonderful It All Is.–Wonderful! Within us is an Almighty Architect, who superintends a thousand skilled laborers, that make a way which puzzles human comprehension; theory fiber of muscle; they are a filament of nerve; here constructing a bone; they are uniting attendant — fashioning each with the most scrupulous care and unerring nicety. Without the buzz of a saw, or the sound of a hammer; without the slightest compression, or the least particle of boys; with a regularity, certainty and exactness, the glorious temple of man, in the image of his Creator, goes up and up, day by day, skilfully put together by these noiseless, tireless and expert workman.
First off it like to point out that this section utilizes the words “superintends” and it spells the words ’skilfully’ with one ‘l’ in skill. These two spelling items or word usages seem to be a good illustration of the change of spelling and vocabulary over a hundred years. I’ve read thousands of books never seen the word superintends in print before. I’ve never seen the word skillfully printed with one L. either.
Second, this section is definitely full of nonsecular references. It’s the closing paragraph of this particular section that was several pages long covering the digestive apparatus and its wonders. This section seems to have included more information about the wonders than the actual digestive apparatus, which would have been suitable for a Bible but not necessarily for a medical textbook.
Finally this section has a number of crazy references again which seems to capitalize on the last two or three sections that were full of gibberish that were put there for no apparent purpose whatsoever other than to fill pages with print.
- VENEREAL DISEASES
VENEREAL DISEASES.Syphilis, gonorrhoea and a host of diseases which follow in their train, come within the scope of Preventive Medicine. They are not spread by water, air, food, or insects as are so many diseases, but develop only from contact with a sufferer (usually by co-habitation, but possible by non-sexual contact), or by the germs from a sufferer being imparted to another by towels, clothing or other articles. They may be communicated to an innocent wife by a diseased husband and vice versa, and many serious diseases and infirmities depending on these diseases may be transmitted to the children of the diseased, as instance the disease of Opthal-mia or Blindness in Children, which occurs at or shortly following birth, and which is usually attributable to one or both of the parents suffering from gonorrhoea, although it may arise from other causes (see Index for article on Opthalmia, its cause, treatment and prevention).
Syphilis and gonorrhcea are so largely dependent on immoral Inter‑course that their prevention is largely a matter of moral uplifting of the people. But, pending this morat uplifting, much is possible by the State and municipal governments placing these diseases on the list of contagious diseases which must be reported to the authorities, as is now required in respect of small-pox, scarlet fever and other diseases which are neither so loathsome nor have such far-reaching results for ill to mankind.
All parents should carefully read the articles on Syphilis, Gonorrhoea and Opthalmia, to be found elsewhere in this work (see Index), and then they should carefully guard their children and at proper age thoroughly instruct them in the fearful ravages of venereal disease. There is too much false modesty in these matters on the part of parents. The general discussion. of sexual matters in novels, in sensational books on eugenics and in ordinary conversation is to be condemned, but it is the duty of every mother to her daughter and of every father to his son, to not only keep constant guard over them in these matters, but, at the beginning of puberty, to instil into their minds the real truths that they may become imbued with the horrors of venereal disease, yet realize the nobility of true sexual life. Professors and teachers in resident schools and colleges where youth is congregated should also have regard to this vital subject and take means to properly impart useful knowledge, and not only adopt every possible precaution to prevent students from meeting lewd persons, but by periodical medical examination discover if any venereal disease is existent, and if found in any individual then suspend such student until the disease be eradicated beyond the possibility of contagion.
Syphilis is a more horrible disease than small-pox and may be easily communicated to the innocent by a common towel, by a brother kissing his sister or a son his mother, and in many other ways, and yet the syphilitically diseased may go where they please and little or no precautions are taken as to the spreading of the disease. It is estimated that in New York City alone 250,000 people are suffering from this loathsome disease, either inherited or acquired, and when it is borne in mind that large numbers of these have innocently acquired it and are now in turn transmitting it to others, the enormity of the evil and the imperative need of preventive measures, will be realized.
Today, fighting venereal diseases begins with a much more solid foundation for education, but is solidly supported by a host of drugs and treatments that can fight many venereal diseases. In some ways venereal diseases today have a stigma significantly less than 100 years ago, because they can be treated better and do not result in death. Popping an antibiotic is as easy as popping a diet pill or taking cold medication.