Medicine has advanced in this country over the years. If we were to become the great country we are today, yes our medicine had to.
In the early years before doctors had use of many medicines, they did a procedure known as bloodletting, which was a common procedure back then of cutting into the body to remove what was thought
to be the bad blood. This procedure often killed people. George Washington died two weeks after this procedure was done on him for pneumonia.
Before these modern medicines, we know of today a lot of knowledge of medicinal plants was from the American Indians who used many plants for medicine. We also had the wise women and midwives who were immigrating to this country bringing with them their knowledge of plants and healing. Of course, later these same wise women would be accused of being witches in Salem.
Because of medicine, we eradicated smallpox in this country as well as polio with the vaccines.
Years ago we had Bayer- the maker of Aspirin who also made heroin. Its first uses were in use in surgical procedures.
Dilaudid was another. I remember a couple old westerns, the doctors used what they called "lauded" in those old movies. Jimmy Stewart gave it to John Wayne in the movie, The Shootout.
Cocaine was another of the older medicines in the early advancement in America. I remember my granddad who passed away many years ago used to tell me the stories about the soda fountains in the pharmacy. Back then, Coca-Cola aka Coke was the real thing dispensed in soda fountains.
Many years ago babies were given a mixture of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana for teething pain. I was born in the early 60's so who knows? My mother may have used this on me.
Did you know that Pepsi started first as a medicine? It was used to treat stomach ailments hence the word Pepsi aka pepsin.
Did you know that the soft drink 7-Up used to contain Lithium- a mood-altering drug often prescribed now to people suffering from manic depression and bipolar?
Dr. Pepper's history was that of a brain tonic due to it's energizing "pick me up" pep.
Did you know that Kellogg's Cornflakes was first made by a doctor; Dr. John Kellogg. Cornflakes is part of an early medicine because it was first only given to patients in sanitariums. Dr. Kellogg introduced Kellogg Corn Flakes in sanitariums in hopes that it would reduce masturbation. In fact, Kellogg devoted much of his energy to discouraging sexual activity of any kind, and was an especially ardent critic of masturbation, which he believed could cause "cancer of the womb, urinary diseases, nocturnal emissions, impotence, epilepsy, insanity, and mental and physical debility" as well as "dimness of vision" and moral corruption. When he noticed it had no effect on people as he had hoped and those in the institutions didn't have adverse effects from eating it, it was then marketed for store shelves.
Did you know that oatmeal was first an early medical treatment? It was first put into baths of people suffering from the pox, poison ivy, and other skin irritations. During the years of the great depression, they fed it those in sanitariums and institutions first to see if there were any harmful effects from eating it.
Here is another that you may already know. Listerine- was first made and used as a powerful floor wash and sanitizer for surgical tools in hospitals.
Aspartame (the artificial sugar that was approved by the FDA for human consumption) was first discovered after an accident in a laboratory. G.D. Searle Company was trying to create anti-ulcer drug when it was discovered after a lab accident that it had a sweetening flavor.
Way back in the early years many of the illegal street drugs we know of today such as heroin and cocaine were dispensed over the counter at pharmacies.I was born in the 1960's. With heroin removed from over the counter to the new Paregoric a new and improved camphorated tincture of opium which was commonly used over the counter. Originally Paregoric was intended for stomach ailments and diarrhea soon thereafter parents learned it's properties of putting children to sleep.
Pertaining to our heroin epidemic here I often wonder how does the laboratory grade form of many of the illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine which is often referred to as "pure" just how does this pure high-grade stuff get from the laboratory to the streets? Do people working in the labs distribute it?
Had you ever heard of these before? Do you know of others? If you know of others please share. I'd love to add them!
picture used is a demotivational poster
paregoric wiki
heroin wiki
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