Health Care Before the 20th Century

It is amazing to see how much health care has changed in recent years. But it is even more interesting to evaluate the way health care existed before the 20th century. Doctors and health professionals did not have as much scientific knowledge as they do know. This effected the way that people were treated when they had diseases. Say for instance, a man was found to have polio. This person would basically be doomed to have an awful rest of his life living with this paralyzing disease. Today, polio has almost been completely eliminated in the United States because of vaccinations and early treatment. It is also hard to imagine having some type of injury instead of a disease. Injury usually means pain, and before the 20th century doctors had a whole different method of treating pain. The Lortab that today's doctors prescribe for you did not exist. Instead, doctors were using home remedies to try to eliminate the pain. A soldier in the Civil War who had a gun shot wound to the stomach probably did not receive much alleviate the pain. Most of the doctors focus would probably be fighting a nasty infection. Today, science has changed so many things including medicine.