Ecobattiness, Medicine, Ignorance, Quacks, FDA, Shams, Young, Directory
"When Charles II* of England lay dying from a convulsion which attached him while shaving, the medicos of that day left no stone unturned in helping him along to the Great Beyond. First, he was bled of a pint of blood. Then his shoulder was cut and eight ounces more of blood was extracted by cupping.
Then followed an emetic, a purgative and another purgative. Next, an enema in which they used antimony, sacred bitters, rock salt, mallow leaves, violet, beet root, camomile flowers, fennel seed, linseed, cinnamon, cardamom seed, saffron, cochineal and aloes. This enema was repeated. In two hours, another purgative was given.
The King's scalp was then shaved, and a blister raised on it. They gave him next sneezing powder of hellebore root; they sought to strengthen his brain by giving him powder of cowslip flowers.
The cathartics(reference to medical practices of the 1800s) were frequently repeated. He was given drinks of barley water, licorice, sweet almonds, white wine, absinthe, anise seed, extracts of thistles, rue, mint and angelica. When these did not cure him, they gave him a plaster of burgundy pitch and pigeon dung, to be applied to his feet.
More bleeding, more purging; they added melon seeds, manna, slippery elm, black cherry water, extracts of flower of lime, lily of the valley, peony, lavender and dissolved pearls. When these did not do the trick, they went at it with gentian root, nutmeg, quinine and cloves. When this failed, he was given forty drops of extract of human skull. Then they forced down his throat a rallying dose of herbs and animal extracts. Then some powdered bezoar stone.
Alas, after an ill fated night His Serene Majesty was so exhausted that all the physicians became despondent. And so, more active cordials, and finally pearl julep and ammonia, were forced down the royal patient's throat.
Then he died."
Or from Maumier's lithograph from the mid 1880s, "There you are, gentlemen, you've seen this operation, that everyone said was impossible, preformed with complete success... But, Doctor, the patient's dead... What of it! She would have died anyway even without the operation."
When we applaud the actions of the Food and Drug Administration in coddling and protecting us as Dr. James Harvey Young is wont to do, we should rethink just how far medicine has progressed. The words of Sir William Hamilton still ring true. "Variation has, by medical bodies, been furiously denounced and then bigotedly adopted". Consider thalidomide, praised as a palliative for pregnant women, denounced as a perpetrator of birth defects, and once again praised as a treatment for other ailments. The FDA takes credit for it all. They make no mistakes.
Who are we to believe? Certainly the pharmaceutical industry would like us to read glowing description of their drugs, then "ask your doctor". Or, at your friendly drug store, supermarket, discount store, &c;. you have a choice of thousands of naturalceuticals promoted by ever means possible. Once in the Doctor's office he offers you jobber's samples. Then there are countless books on virtually every subject. The fact of the matter is that we are over medicated, and if willing to accept aches and pains as a part of the human experience would be better off just taking two aspirins and not calling the doctor in the morning.
Alas, the Government now wants to have even greater control of the health(?) industry. Can you imagine how a group of government employees could have better treated Charles II and his minions? Why by prescribing that ALL are entitled to identical treatment, of course.
Since life is a terminal illness for which there is no cure, there's plenty of room for experimentation.
(The quote on successful treatment of Charles II* comes from a 1939 book by Morris A. Bealle. Bealle used the episode as a means of focusing his attack on the Administration which he wrote was "long on theory and short on practical ability". What's new?)
* Charles II was King of England in 1660 and died in 1685.
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