A fun anecdote from the history of medicine. (Fun in hindsight, though not necessarily fun for those who lived through the medical history.) The late-medieval Iatrochemists believed that progress could be made by uniting medicine with alchemy. Their intellectual leader was Paracelsus (1493-1541), a Swiss physician whose goal was to reform medical chemistry by rejecting […]
Iatrochemists: why iron salts cure anemia Read More »
Why accurate translation and skilled editing are important: Bloodletting was a common practice in medieval medicine and did not die out until the nineteenth century. The practice was encouraged by the belief that the excellent Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen practiced it. Most phelobotomists followed the Persian genius Avicenna‘s editions of the Greek texts, which
The great Renaissance medical bloodletting controversy Read More »
Reprising this post about the early death of Franz Schubert, the great lyrical composer of the early nineteenth century. He died at age 31. While his music is usually too melancholy for my taste, what a sadness. Franz was lucky to get that many years. Biographer Christoper Gibbs reports that Schubert’s parents had fourteen children
Franz Schubert’s early death Read More »
How media report statistics according to their philosophy: Enlightenment headline: SCIENCE and CAPITALISM a great success. Jaded-feminist headline: The PATRIARCHY encouraging women to be BABY-MAKING MACHINES. Socialist-Marxist headline: Europeans gain by EXPLOITING poor women in the THIRD WORLD. Postmodern headline: NO news here — “HEALTH” and “PROGRESS” mere SUBJECTIVE narratives.
Mortality headlines [humor alert] Read More »
Source: Nathan Belofsky, Strange Medicine: A Shocking History of Real Medical Practices Through the Ages (Penguin, 2013), p. 116. Online at Google Books. [If only the goat had been from West India. Classic mistake.] But seriously: Why? The best theories, diligently applied: We’ve read the texts, with their mix of ancient traditions, magic, and alchemy.
Death by doctor — the king’s medical treatment Read More »
Source: THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, March 25, 1991 Age-old practices spread lethal modern virus By Lorerta Tofani, Inquirer Staff Writer MACHAKOS, Kenya — The balding medicine man sharpened his pocketknife with another knife, filling his small rural office with the screech of metal. Then, dipping the smaller blade into a jar of herbs, he made two
Death by doctor — Kenyan traditional edition Read More »
We currently have an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. Many do not adequately protect themselves, and many do not properly respect and protect others. To curb this epidemic, I propose: 1. Before entering bars and nightclubs or any establishment wherein pre-sexual interactions may occur, patrons must provide certification of their STD status. 2. Prior to
Sex vaccine mandates Read More »
James I of Scotland: “James was an early opponent of painless childbirth. … one of the King’s subjects, a gentlewoman named Eufame MacAlyane, was suffering unbearable pain during the birth of her twin sons. In desperation, she sought pain-relief from Agnes Sampson, reportedly a witch. MacAlyane thereby violated God’s command in Gen. 3:16: “Unto the woman
Anaesthesia as immoral and illegal — King James of Scotland edition Read More »