Reviewing the Medical Books and Journals that constituted Medical understanding a century back.

History of the Book of Medicine

August 19th, 2008 at 11:41 pm

Boiled Water

water boiling in a glass bowl, common now, but not then like HDMI splitter's today. slightly new and archaic at the same time...

Boiled Water.-The insipid taste of water which has been boiled is due to the absence of air. Many gases besides air may be artificially or naturally mingled with water, and some, like ammonia or nitric acid, are freely soluble in it. In sea-water, the presence of common salt, with small quantities of sulphate of soda or Glauber's salt, and, of the compound of magnesia and chlorine, called chloride of magnesium, render it entirely unfit for drinking, as many a hapless shipwrecked sailor has found to his cost.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

Lead Diseases

Lead Diseases. — the injurious effects of lead upon the human system are displayed first, in the production of dyspepsia; later, obstinate constipation and a peculiar kind of colic, so common among painters from the influence of lead that it has received the name of “painter’s colic;” and finally, disturbance of the nervous system, especially that peculiar form of lead palsy called wrist drop, in which the power to lift up the hand is more or less completely lost.

If that seems a little scary consider that this book was written right around the same time that life insurance became popular. Now back then, life expectancy was much lower than it is today. Its increased by about 25 years give or take. Today life insurance quotes might also be a lot more reliable due to the higher competition amongst many high quality insurance agencies that no longer sell insurance door to door like they did 100 years ago. Regardless, I think most of us would just rather avoid lead diseases all together.
Health

Health.-Disease can be prevented by the individual doing everything in his power to keep in the best physical condition. Disease is a common enemy of all of us, waiting to destroy, but nature is in league with us if we obey her laws. With a normal body and pureblood should the invader arrived, the fight is on our side. But once the body is weakened by heredity as a result of our parent’s or forefather’s neglect of the body, through the abuse of alcohol, tobacco or immoral living, lack of exercise, over eating and loss of sleep, overworked or lack of work or improper food, then will the soil be fertile for the planting of the germs of disease. When exposed and once planted the flight will be in their favor, as the rundown body will not have sufficient vitality to overcome the invader and sickness and death will result.

Its an interesting perspective that the author offers up about the abuse of alcohol and its impact on babies. This is something that is well documented today with fetal alcohol syndrome, but somewhat remarkable that they made the link 100 years ago.

Its remarkable, but it might also point to the direction of science and how unsubstantiated beliefs of 100 years ago, pushed the logical research in one direction or another. Hypothesis followed by experiment to result in a proven rule or dismissal or refinement of the hypothesis. But it requires that first notion and direction to research. Similar things can be seen in the evolution of other areas of science from airplanes to vacuum cleaners and Ladybug steam cleaners.
Medicine News
Google News Feed TOS Attribution