I love how Victorian medicine is the equivalent of a kid making a potion in their bathroom sink with random bathroom products. Except instead of toothpaste and body wash its heroin and alcohol 😂
I used to do that all of the time..in one of those 80s Dixie cups. My parents were never happy about my concoctions which they found hidden behind the bathroom trash can or in a closet. 😂
@@livingood1049 you know 99% of men are insecure and take it out on women because they blame them? yeah, they aren't nuts. that's just misogynistic rhetoric and i advise you educate yourself before you sound stupid again
I'm an archaeologist in Illinois. A few years back we found a patent medicine bottle on a late 19th century site that still had some left in it. We had it chemically analyzed. The results were... interesting. Lots of alcohol, cannabis, a bit of opium, and laudanum.
Glad you were able to investigate the contents. Where was it discovered? - In a wall, under floorboards, or buried in a backyard? Was it discovered during a renovation or turned with the *soil of a farm field? ( Just curious, but understood if you are not at liberty to say.)
I have a chronic illness and the doctors haven’t helped much at all, so my parents signed up for an MLM claiming to essentially be a “cure all”. They want me to sell it and are upset that I refuse to. Patent medicines are def still a thing, just with a new name. 😢 be safe out there folks❤
Mlms suck, although as a person with a chronic condition too, some supplements are useful if you use them right, I wish that the natural remedy community and doctors who work with lab designed medications could works together instead of fighting
@@saphire_makes_artI also have a chronic condition, and I actually see a holistic dr who works with both herbal remedies and typical medicine. Both together make my condition much more manageable but it’s unreasonable how hard it is to find good drs like mine. But it’s possible to find!
@saphire1sababy378 to offer a quick correction. A lot of natural ingredients are often used in doctor made medicine. And shouldn't be confused with "natural medicine" meaning pseudoscience and people making shit up to sell placebos. Modern medicine evolved from natural remedies and should always be considered first and foremost.
it s slightly off your opic,i m just so personally invested in the subject, sorry😂,but might want to look into ayurveda as well as dr gabor matés books, usually chronic illnesses are based in metabolism changing trauma, and ayurveda is a nice way to work with the state mind and body are in therefore and balancing that out with food, herbs, breathing and physical exercises. it s no cure but i experienced good results in relief from pain and ailments, in myself and others. i wish you the very best!
Sad that this view on women hasn’t changed much in the medical world. Women’s pain and concerns are often brushed off at “anxiety” or “menstrual pains.” Sooooo many times I’ve had male doctors tell me I’m fine and it’s in my head just to find out later something actually was wrong.
Or the time I was hospitalized for severe medical malnutrition and had multiple doctors completely ignore me and my lengthy medical history in favor of trying to diagnose me with... another, more psychological type of condition. It's sad, just how many things they'll try to completely dismiss or talk over us about.
@@pastelshadows6437My lungs failed. By that I mean that the gas exchange process stopped. I was bedridden for six months until it finally eased (though it never fully went away). The closest thing I got to a diagnosis was, "Anxiety." Much the same happened when my gallbladder failed.
Fun fact: my great-grandmother Lydia Pinkham Grant was related to Lydia Pinkham, the patent medicine entrepreneur and one of the first fabulously wealthy women in American history. Unfortunately, the relation was not close enough for any of that patent medicine money to come down to my family. Nonetheless, I remain eternally grateful for the piece of Portland glass that Lydia Pinkham Grant owned and came to me as a wedding present.
@@caffienatedtactician I'm not sure whether there's another name, but that's my aunt's vernacular. It's rather plain but attractive utilitarian glassware made in the Portland, Maine area in the mid-nineteenth century. This piece is a deep glass about 5 1/2 inches high on a very squat stem with 8 repeating vertical grape leaf motifs.
These medicine shows didn't end, their form has just evolved. Where we once had a traveling circus type of setup, we now have The Dr's and Dr Oz, syndicated across the country.
I really appreciated you setting the stage in the beginning by telling us about the state of "legitimate" medicine at the time. I knew it was awful back then but I never directly connected it to the proliferation of quack medicine and patent medicine. Makes total sense why an average person would try snake oil, but I never thought about it before!
@@kagitsune Also, in the U.S., especially in red states which refuse to accept Federal money for Medicaid (because *those people* don't deserve it... ahem...) quackery can consume a lot of the oxygen not being given to real medical advice.
@@kagitsune Exactly! A lack of access to advanced health care has people out here downing bleach and ivermectin (not for worms). The only thing that was better about the patent medicines was that alcohol and opium might make you feel a bit better.
I did find that maybe the most interesting part. I don't feel like I have the time to sit down and learn debunked scientific theories, but when I happen to learn about them like this, it's maybe the most comprehensively designed fictional universe that exists and it's very cool.
One of my favorite media depictions of patent medicine is in RDR: Undead Nightmare, when you meet this snakeoil salesman (who's also in the main game) who's selling what he calls a "zombie repellent" miracle elixer. It actually attracts zombies instead.
I'm so sorry, but jumping straight from "buy my magic oil made with herbs and things™ that only I know to solve your every health problem," to the sponsor ad "buy this facemask of oils and herbs to obtain flawless skin" absolutely wrecked me 😂😂❤❤💖🖤
When I was a kid my grandma fell for the order on TV herbal remedies scams. She ended up very sick from taking what amounted to vitamins and herbs and ended up in immune system failure. Luckily she was able to be treated at University of Michigan Hospital and lived, but her chances were very low. When Kaz says “although natural, not innocuous” it’s so very true.
The ending bit of this still existing today hits hard for me tbh. My maternal grandma desperately needs knee surgery, it’s something everyone has noticed: her ex-husband, her current husband, my paternal grandma, cousins, etc But she’s so distrustful of the medical system that she refuses to seek any medical help, only seeking “natural remedies” As a disabled person myself, it’s hard for me to blame her, the medical system is messed up. But she desperately needs it and all of us have been trying to support and convince her to take that step It’s such a complicated and messy issue and makes me all the more angry that it still happens, especially when you see someone you really care about get stuck in the rabbit hole. So the compassion side of this and how it’s still prevalent today is something I appreciate and was very glad you brought up
The more you try to push, the most she’ll double down because, if you are trying to take her autonomy, she’ll keep the power she has by exercising her power to say NO. Back off, respect that she doesn’t want to right now, and when you aren’t harassing her to do what she has apparently said MANY times that she doesn’t want to do with her own body, then she’ll be more likely to decide to do it. You can’t force her, and continuing to try to force her is only going to result in doing more of what you know isn’t working, and could actively be getting her to push back more.
@@Author.Noelle.Alexandria I understand where you’re coming from but I think you misunderstood. No one is forcing her to go kicking and screaming to surgery. Like I said, we are all supportive of her and doing our best to slowly get her more comfortable with the idea. When I said she’s deep in the rabbit hole, I mean she is fully getting into MLMs and scams to try and fix this. It’s less about trying to force her to do something and more trying to help her out of that because not only is it putting her health at risk, it’s actively hurting her financially Sometimes supporting people means you need to be there to tell someone when what they’re doing is self destructive Also never once in my comment did I ever say this is something we bring up constantly with her or she has pushed back on us many times, and CERTAINLY never harassed her on. It’s been a few years now, and no one has brought this up with her until recently when it’s gotten much worse to the point she can’t walk without help (and she refused to use a cane until recently). We thought she would on her own, but then she got into scams to fix it instead. And has slowly been becoming more open to idea because we have been helping her through this,,, not harassing her lol This issue is, as I said, complicated and you really shouldn’t butt into situations you don’t fully understand the nuance and context of.
I fully get this, it’s the same for my nana and her mental health, as well as just issues she’s having as a result of getting older. I understand very sincerely why she doesn’t trust doctors to help her, and a lot of time they don’t and won’t. but I just wish she wouldn’t buy into these MLMs and scams that only seek to exploit her. It’s an upsetting situation to be in, but I hope that someday it can get better, and we can push for change so this doesn't keep happening. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I hope it isn’t. For the future’s sake
God, my mom is in the same situation with Crohn's. She's terrified of modern medicine. Her and I have both dealt with our fair share of terrible doctors so it's hard to tell her "trust the doctors" when I know that a lot of doctors are arrogant asshats who don't care at all about their patients.
Your maternal grandmother sounds like my paternal grandmother. She's been having issues with her hips and legs for YEARS and can barely walk without supporting herself against something, and only recently started using a cane (though she honestly needs a walker). She's unfortunately not only stubborn as heck but also easily becomes a victim for quack :/ It frustrates me so much, but also makes me sad. Her distrust and reluctance to get medical help makes no sense either, since she's very adamant that her husband (my paternal grandfather) gets the help he needs, regardless if it is operations or medicines. Sigh. I guess I should be happy that she at least uses a cane now, and that we thankfully convinced her to take the COVID vaccine when it was due.
What used to be called patent medicines are now marketed as “herbal supplements.” Through a loophole in FDA regulations, “dietary supplements” are not regulated as drugs, even though medicinal claims are typically made for them.
There's even a (very strange to navigate) gray area, where doctors recommend certain supplements in VERY specific cases. It's led to some awkward moments visiting my pharmacy (inside a grocery store), and being told what I was recommended is in the section with all the "random detox pills" 🫢
My grandmother told me a story about how her father passed away from a "wooden" tooth implant that replaced one of his front teeth. This was in the midwest in the late 20's. That story never made much sense to me. But with this context, that story is absolutely understandable. He probably fell victim to a quack dentist.
As a young person who has implants.....and also had 2 that became infected, crunched thru my jawbone and failed.... Wood 🪵? That gives me secondhand cross generational anxiety😂.😮😢 It's like a bacteria sponge. He probably died of sepsis....and also that would hurt like a B.
@@eacorpe88 sorry to hear it. I'm gonna need a few one day myself. Supposedly my great grandfather died when the infection spread to his brain. That's what my grandmother said, anyway.
I work in a nursing home; a lot of our ladies are 100, 101, and were born in the 1920's era. The amount of information dawning on me right now is fabulous and insane. To think that their parents and grandparents going through the majority of all the craziness-
My dad did some genealogical research in the 90s including interviewing many older relatives, not sure the oldest but he's talked about family members born as early as the 1890s and one peculiarity that I'll always remember is our oldest relatives believed that having a bathroom and a kitchen inside the house was unsanitary. I don't know if they meant having both in the same building but the way he talked about it, it sounded like they thought both of them were gross separately. Pretty wild how much has changed in the past century.
@@amoureux6502it's prolly because in 1890s outhouses were common than bathrooms. I'm from India and still in some parts of modern day india bathroom in home isn't actually ideal. Outhouses just adjacent to houses(especially those used by guests)are more preferable. Though, this culture has, for most parts, been slowly disappearing.
It’s so rough hearing all this horrible misogyny around “female trouble” but at the same time I am in the process of getting a hysterectomy because my periods are so bad that I will indeed fall to the ground insensate, half conscious, with a scream of agony when it’s that time of the month 😂
Oof, I feel this. Are you still waiting for surgery? The hardest part is the first week post-op. Pooping will be scary. Around week five, you may eject something that looks like vermicelli. Don't worry, it's not actually pasta.
I really appreciate how much empathy you have/foster for people of the past. It’s very human to look back and want to feel superior to those who came before.
Kaz- I think you would deeply enjoy looking into the history of cocktails, something you touched on breifly in this video. It’s an insane rabbit hole that combines Victorian medicine and New Orleanian counter culture of the time, as that was where they began. It’s super fascinating because they were considered medicine, it’s like imagining what if in an alternate universe it was normalized to order codiene or benedryl with your dinner, but instead it was cocktails that caught on. It’s super interesting stuff. During prohibition, restaurants would pose as part time pharmacies to continue creating them.
I like how you stressed that people of the past were not less intelligent than we are now for trying or believing these things. I think it's especially easy for someone today that struggles with a chronic condition and has seen so many doctors that can't fix it, to understand what people were going through back then. Even with today's technology its exhausting doing all the research and verifying the claims of different products when you have to go through so many.
Yes, and to add to this... doctors are often either so complacent they don't care, or are too afraid to do anything that's out of the status quo. I had a life threatening event happen a few years back, and my surgeon saved my life! However any difficulty I have since then, they (every specialist) ALL want me to go back and see this surgeon. The man is busy ok?? 🤣🤣 he can't treat my every ailment! He did his job, now I beg of these other doctors to PLEASE do theirs!! Rather than look at me like 🤡 have you tried Gabapentin 🤡 Yes, literally 2 decades ago. Can we please move onnnnn???? 😆😆 Gosh, it's truly a mess for the chronically I'll right now. But as we see in this... there are ebbs and flows with progress. I hope we have just been in a SERIOUS ebb the last few years, and we are about to get some nice flow because I CANT TAKE ANYMORE EBB!! 🤣🤣
As someone with a genuine phobia of medical professionals and medical procedures I can totally relate to the poor victorians who would choose herbal over hospital. Me too,.every single time sadly
No judgement, but can you explain what having that phobia feels like? It’s interesting to me, and I’m genuinely curious in what ways they are scary. Like is it the tools they use to perform procedures that may appear intimidating , is it the fear of them making terrible mistakes when treating you?because of past trauma?or is it something like just the fact they are a doctor scares you. thanks I’m advance.
Can only speak for myself but long term, consistent, numerous negative experiences with drs and a variety of medical professionals. Also squeamishness.
Same here! All I heard from my elders while growing up was that anyone who goes to the hospital ends up dying there…. I know it’s false… but still… it’s so ingrained in me that the fear will always be in the back of my mind.
Its funny because I actually am truly in awe at how much medical science has advanced and I put a lot of faith in modern medicine. I think herbal and eastern medicine is generally horseshit and would never choose it instead. But I HATE going to Hospitals and I hate Doctors. Really and truly not exaggerating here. It doesnt help the majority ive met are dickwads with their demeanor and the way they look down at patients. When I was a teenager I was flagged at a physical for having abnormally high blood pressure and got put through a battery of tests including EKGs and long-term studies. I tried to communicate that I was fine its just my anxiety around medical professionals. Ya a while later they determined I was perfectly healthy but had 'White Coat syndrome' (their words). My policy in life is to do whatever I can to stay as healthy as possible to stay away from hospitals, but also would never allow my personal biases cloud my judgment if I did become ill or injured needing treatment.
Older UK people like myself will remember a comedy song called “Lily the Pink” about an amazing ‘medicinal compound’ which reached number 1 in the UK charts in 1968. It’s based on an older folk song about Lydia Pinkham’s patent medicine, something I only realised when watching this video, wondering about any connection and then googling.
i really liked this video!! as a disabled person with disabled friends, there are also a ton of able-bodied loved ones around us who become the victims of these quacks in attempts to cure us-- even if we already have life-sustaining medication perscribed to us. one of the things i really loved about "The Owl House" was how it addressed the topic, but also didn't at all villainize or fully victimize Eda and Lilith's mother who had been similarly conned (the "didn't fully victimize" is an important wording since their mother took away the girls' medicine (without telling them or asking for consent!) that helped mitigate the symptoms of their magic-chronic-illness. BUT the episode also didn't make her the villain since she too had been conned into thinking this act had been the right thing to do, and instead had the quack of a con-man be the episode's real villain), since disabled people's problems are often over-looked and the media usually brands us as tragic "I'd be better off dead" characters (im still so glad to this day a friend warned me about "Be Before You" ending in the disabled romantic-lead comitting suicide as part of the plot) or as inspiration porn but only as inspiration for able-bodied people specifically. The Owl House was really refreshing in that sense! (i would like to shout out that the youtuber Oakwyrm has some great analysis of that episode and others' about using allegory for disability representation, the goods, bads, and Joanne Rowling *ugly shudder*) what you talked about here is a problem that's been rampant on tiktok (such as the infamous pink sauce, I think MatPat made an episode about it on his food theory channel) in addition to pre-existing with disabled people. it was really wise of you to bring up the parallels in history repeating itself from then and now! im extremely impressed and definitely going to leave a Like. thank you so much for such a well-polished and eloquent essay ♡
That last bit hit me hard. I'm disabled in a whole bunch of ways (Joints, neurological system issues, mental health issues, etc), and I've been trying to fight for an epilepsy diagnosis for the past two months. The MRI was likely the wrong type to pick up epilepsy. The EEG might have been read as normal or subclinical due to the bias of my neurologist refusing to say that my seizures are more than migraines. I get focal seizures daily and I've had ones similar to GTC ones a few times and it is terrifying, along with developing a fear of SUDEP and being gaslit by my neurologist office with them saying I cannot have epilepsy due to not completely losing consciousness with every seizure. It only really started developing a few months ago and I've already been saddled with the "We don't fucking know, just have this diagnosis so you shut up" disorder for neurology (Conversion disorder). All of my experiences point to epilepsy or something extremely similar going on, along with all the time I've talked to epileptics about it. I'm so ready to give up on a diagnosis but it could potentially kill me. So I was thinking about alternative cures for a while. But, a little encouragement might just help me keep fighting for care I need.
Hey!! idk if youll see this bc its 2 months later, but do some research into Tuberous Sclerosis Complex! Its the condition I have, and your experience really matches what I deal with. I am diagnosed with chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, chronic kidney disease, adhd, and i experience joint pain and splitting headaches- and all of it is because of Tuberous Sclerosis.
As someone who is chronically ill, I see so many of these "old" attitudes still in place today. I have considered alternative medicine quite a bit as the medical system has failed me numerous times and I have had multiple experiences of medical gaslighting. Would you ever consider doing a video on the history of hysteria or medical gaslighting? There are doctors still out here calling their patients hysterics and hysteria has been "repackaged" into new disorders like functional neurological disorder. It would be an interesting topic, for sure, and one that the general public is not entirely aware of as well. Thanks for all your hard work, your videos are always so fascinating!
Right? Dr: Well I can't figure out what's wrong and all the money you have spent has come to nothing because nothing is on my tests that I can see. Have you considered you're just a lying liar who lies? Us: 😢 No! I need help please... Dr: Idk go to this specialist you won't see for months and that you can't afford anyway
@@WolfieDawn Yep! Or they pull you the psychosomatic card and doom you to years of ineffective therapy while your physical health continues to deteriorate.
as a german person who always wears a big black coat, usually has a book with them & owns several (ethically obtained dw) animal skulls, i do kinda vibe with this doctor character
I completely enjoyed this. I have family members susceptible to these kinds of quack things but I only say something if I think it’s going to cause real damage. My step mom had cancer and would use these things strapped to her feet that would supposedly draw out the toxins from chemotherapy and honest and since she wasn’t ingesting anything I wasn’t going to point out that they were turning brown because they were tea bags, not because they could draw toxins out of your feet. My sister got acupuncture because she had trouble conceiving and since she had the money and I don’t think it does any harm I didn’t point out that you can’t manipulate your energies enough to fix an inverted uterus or her husbands exposure to toxic chemicals that reduced fertility rates in everyone that was exposed to the same chemicals. When my mom tried to do a detox tea diet, though, I pointed out that starving yourself and giving yourself diarrhea is probably not the best way to go about losing weight. It’s effective, but not healthy. All of them felt kind of desperate and I think it impacted their objectivity.
Slight irony of Lydia Pinkham's is that it actually worked if you were dealing with certain actual medical issues. The main ingredient (other than alcohol) helps the body balance and hold on to estrogen. But no help for hysteria, wandering wombs, or misogyny.
As someone who studies history in university (with interest in early modern medicine and history of mental illness) and is currently writing a bachelor thesis on melancholy in early modern England, i really love your victorian medicine videos, especially because the way you explain everything... much love from Czech republic
33:43 Ok this is so interesting because I’m currently reading “don’t call it a cult” by Sarah Berman about NXIVM the cult/mlm. And that’s exactly what Keith Raniere did, he starting by finding vulnerable people then using powerful/influential white women to pedal his ideologies and promote everything for him, under the guise that he was helping them become better spiritually, physically, and mentally. I really appreciate this video because it just helps me understand a little bit more about how these harmful schemes can occur.
This is so on point. Thank you for calling out Gwenneth as well. As someone suffering from the neglectful, predatory modern day American Healthcare system, not wanting to throw more good money after bad, just hoping to die quickly without too much pain, at least I can be educated about how we got here in the first place. Thank you for your work. Just discovered your channel and it's helping me get through my days.
The BBC has an outstanding Victorian Pharmacy series. If you haven’t already watched it, you might like it. It’s here on RUclips. Great video. I really appreciate how you stress that the onus of blame should be on the quacks who peddled this stuff, and urged your viewers to think kindly on people of the past.
There's a rumour that the BBC are having a "The 1960's Pharmacy" reboot. It's said to be FRIGHTENING about what we put in our bodies only 60ish years ago.
Your costumes and sets are always on point and this is no exception! You pull of the old fashion styles amazingly well! Love the video and I'm always excited when you drop another one!
My grand-parents were both medical doctors (physicians?), they had their phds in the 50's and their careers were between the 50's and the 90's. When I moved out their house after they passed away, I found old medication samples that labs sent them to give their patients, I found so much codeine based medication samples 🤦 and the worst thing is than the posology for children was basically "cut in half"...
speaking as someone who didn't get diagnosed with my chronic illness for 6 years and started experiencing it during childhood, it's easy to understand why so many people fell for these scams back then and today. when you're in pain every single day, you get desperate, and anything seems better than what you're going through. it's worth noting too that even if you do know if may be bad for you, sometimes your suffering is so great that you don't care as long as you don't have to deal with your specific ailments anymore. it's so sad and frustrating how pervasive this is today. super interesting and fantastic video as always, really informational while still being entertaining to watch!
I'm currently rereading Deborah Blum's fantastic book about the development of forensic medicine in NYC in the 1920s, "The Poisoner's Handbook." So much of it is about the responses to turn of the century patent medicines, not to mention poisonous Prohibition "alcohol." Very much recommended!
i LOVED this book when i read it for a class last year. highly recommend giving it a read -- super interesting information presented in witty storytelling format that does not diminish the impact of said information!
Doctors still use a patient’s pain in order to take advantage of the opportunity to have peers gather around and “observe” the going’s on. My labour and delivery of my daughter was attended by not one but six physicians. I was in too much pain to object their presence.
@@WolfieDawn Yeah i'm fine now, thank you. I do faint often, usually when i'm in pain but idk what triggered it this time. Maybe i didn't drink enough, idk. Thank you so much for your well wishes! Have a nice day! :)
I haven’t even finished the video but the “let me check with my manager” zoom in on little stuffy followed by “it doesnt cure female hysteria cuz that’s not real. But it does cure male hysteria” SENT ME. Your comedic timing is P E A K
okay this is actually so specifically helpful and informative for me, thank you?? I have been going to an 1890's frontier-inspired horror LARP since last November. I play an herbalist healer of sorts who brews moonshine and sells snake oil products, hah. I like the role-play aspect of not being a "legitimate" doctor and the skills are fun. my primary healing ability is to 'rub some dirt innit' to restore hit points. I'm thinking to possibly take the character in a more shady direction with her snake oil abilities so this video (especially the intro hehe) provides huge inspiration. well done :)
THANK YOU SO MUCH for acknowledging that medical professionals dismissing genuine concerns can lead to patients seeking alternatives. It's something I thought of too but doesn't seem discussed much. Great video!
Asthma cigarettes were not tobacco, but made of stramonium leaves, the commonly used treatment for asthma until the aerosol inhalers were introduced and actually were prescribed well until the 1980s. Sadly, these constantly get included in “bad historical medicine” videos or videos that discuss bad vintage tactics of the tobacco industry in the past without truly understanding what they were
While it's funny to think that the uterus moves around in the body, I can understand why it might have been believed that it could; uterine prolapse is entirely possible for people who've given birth (especially multiple times), and if it's possible for it to "fall out", you could (unscientifically, but somewhat intuitively) imagine that it could move to other places. I'm curious if there was ever such thinking about the testes, given that testicular hernias are entirely possible.
I didn't have prolapse but my uterus became very "tilted" after my son. Also the lining started to take over the muscular layers and I had opposite day periods (-IE 4wk bleeding, one off). It took 2 years for both answers to actually be discovered. Could've been 1 ultrasound ..but nope. Gave me birth control and that made it worse....so just gaslight me for a bit first.😮 I already have a autoimmune issue necessitating a couple blood transfusions a year. So I ended up needing more of those during that time. Even now... We don't believe in free floating, wandering, wombs. However, we still hold on to the "you are being histrionic and just need these hormone pills. . . Bye bye)
I'd argue people turning to questionable treatments out of desperation for something accessible in the off chance it will work is a continuing problem, at least in the states. *stares daggers at the healthcare system*
One of those actually works insanely well though, even if it is a bit moreish. Cocaine for tooth pain is so efficient it's still some times used, though other methods are more common. It's a very good local anesthetic
I had surgery last fall, and due to a morphine allergy, they actually ended up giving me a certain alternative which begins with 'fent' and ends with two more syllables (I'm not sure if it will get flagged); given how much is in the news about substances being tainted with that, I'll admit I did not realize it still had a legitimate medical use
@@bellablue5285 a lot of people don't realize that if they've ever had a surgery, they most likely have been given fentanyl haha but it's the good kind not the stuff with questionable strength and/or xylanzine on the street :p
@@jessegruber3650 ah okay that makes sense, I have trouble just taking otc stuff and I'm not in a medical or pharma field, so honestly I don't really know/recognize most of the names unless they've been on the news. I just recall being kind of in awe that it was something that still gets used therapeutically
@@bellablue5285 yes! even if you don't have allergies to morphine they do use fentanyl. on my latest surgery the last thing I heard before dozing off was the anesthesiologist saying to her assistant "now pass the Fenta" lol. and my dad was given fentanyl while being awake, the first and second day after his heart bypass surgery.
@@bellablue5285 fent* is used by the police now to calm down aggressive people when they need to solve situations. It still have uses but DONT use it after your doctor tell you "no more"
I find videos like this so incredibly interesting, especially the fact that things like that still happen with pyramid schemes and whatnot! I loved the style of the video and how you laid it out, Subscribed and excited to binge loads of your videos haha
People haven't changed much, huh? My mother is one of those people who would rather believe a "guru" than a medical professional. I love how Kaz brings these old issues and places them in new light to show us that old timey people were just like us. Very good video ❤
The problem with pseudo-intellectuals like Kaz is that she perpetuates myths too. Doctors weren't all about killing patients for money. 19th century hospitals did keep hygiene standards. It's a bit like the nonsense about medieval ages and that people never bathed then and so called "Dark ages" when people believed the earth was flat, yet at the time it was known that the world was round like a ball and not round like a disc. To claim women's psychosomatic issues of the time were just a reaction to women going into male jobs is also not accurate and is an oversimplification. Etc.
I love how extra the whole presentation is for this video. I'm always impressed all of the staging on Kaz's special videos, but this one just goes so hard.
I was caught off guard by the mention of Merz Apothecary!! It’s by far one of my favorite places. It’s near my work, I’ll often stop by for a refill of my favorite lotion after my shift and spend an hour admiring the different teas they have. I don’t even drink tea. If you’re ever in the area, DEFINITELY stop by. Amazing store and the employees are all such lovely people.
This was a really great watch. And I loved how in the end you compared it to the modern day "snake oil salesmen" we still have. Eye opening as I knew that was all BS really but never realized it was still happening today.
I avoided going to the dentist to try a "remineralizing" tooth treatment in college. I thought it worked at first because my tooth pain went away, but it turned out the nerve just died because I didn't seek care for it earlier on.
@@tenebrousoul9368 hey just checking to be sure, Kaz’s pronouns are they/them right? I saw some other comments saying she and I thought I remembered Kaz being gender neutral but I wanted to ask someone who did say “they”
I'm surprised I never considered how "every ailment is caused by the same core problem: out of balance humours" made so many of the horrible treatments, panaceas, and quack medicines completely logical. Thank you for the new perspective! Ditto to for driving home how medical practitioners weren't just using excruciating and ineffective treatments with a horrific mortality rate, but the classist aspects and surgeries being a humiliating spectacle. Surprised there was no mention of lightning hands Liston and his record achievement of a 300% mortality rate while operating on a single patient. Humans have repeatedly developed extremely sophisticated and advanced medicinal systems and ideas, but with enough incorrect foundational pillars for it to go in some very wrong directions. And then there's patterns like our species's worryingly common love for things like mercury 😬
Been a silent fan for over a year but just had to comment to say how incredible the quality of your content is 😭👏✨ each one takes us on a theatrical, artistic, historical journey! Stunning production as always!
I loved this video! I really appreciate the empathy with which you discussed modern day quackery and those that fall prey to it. I’ve been chronically ill since I was thirteen, with a collection of symptoms that my doctors still don’t know what to do with… and when traditional medicine fails you, as it does so many, it is SO easy to fall victim to predatory health “professionals”. There are treatments I’ve tried that I was (and still am) embarrassed to admit to because it seems so obvious-but I was in a situation where I felt I had no other options, and I had a lot of “couldn’t hurt to try” moments. Well… trying those things left me with diagnosed PTSD, a LOT less money, and at the time made me sicker. I’m sure a lot of people taking this stuff in the Victorian era (and still today) had similar situations, and it’s not a case of being stupid-it’s being desperate and being lied to. You handled it well, and I’m happy to see the comments section is quite kind as well :)
It's so easy (and too often done) to just write these people off as stupid so we can feel superior. I really appreciate you don't do that. People have always been people, trying to get through life as best they can. And some characters will take advantage of that. We are certainly not immune to that today. The fact we want to think of people from the past as "stupid" and us as "better" makes us *more* susceptible
Mum, used to have a book full of 1930’s dodgy advertisements about the household including patent (OTC) medicines that was extremely popular with the poor Glaswegian population. Some of these advertisements were way too scary for a young child! Liked a lot of the fonts and lettering of that era.
FIrst time here and I think your video is educational, period inspirational (with the pharma in the background) and outfit, and very very informative. In conclusion, I was blown away by how professional this video was. Bravo!!
I was rewatching your videos when I got the notification of this video, I’m so happy! You have helped me get rid of the existential dread I would feel from hearing about any history lol but now I have a special interest in the Victorian era! The medieval period still freaks me out for some reason though lol. Your videos are so cool and the beautiful cinematography inspires me a lot. I’m sure it’s sparked an interest in history for so many more besides me because of your unique style
Oooh excited to have caught this one early! Quack medicine is so fascinating to me, I think John R. Brinkley (the "goat-gland" guy) is one of my favorites even though he wasn't quite Victorian
There is a novelty song from the 1960s about Lydia Pinkham. It's called 'Lily the Pink', and it's by the British band the Scaffold. One of the members of the band was one Mike McGear, whose brother was also in a little band called the Beatles.
I am glad you brought up that this is still occurring. I think part is that just like in the 1800's when doctors were not available to all, we are being priced out of the quality medical care today. Let's not forget how they are also targeting our image issues with this. Every time I turn around there is some new exercise, diet plan, wrinkle cream advertisement.
People a hundred years from now will be saying the same about us. It's a circle we are on and quite possibly will be on until the sun goes nova. It's really astounding what we are willing to dose ourselves up with.
One thing that drives me mad is how like Western European culture is hailed as the father of science and medicine but other cultures had had the scientific method for AGES like honestly us Europeans were pretty damn stupid by comparison
Im not necessarily questioning the legitimacy of the sponsors' product, but I love that the world we live in allows for 'here's a video on how marketing allowed for people to sell stuff that probably doesn't work, but first, marketing on a product that will 100% fix your skin' (Not blaming Kaz for using sponsors either, the capitalist hellscape we live in means it's necessary for them to do what they love)
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I love how Victorian medicine is the equivalent of a kid making a potion in their bathroom sink with random bathroom products. Except instead of toothpaste and body wash its heroin and alcohol 😂
I used to do that all of the time..in one of those 80s Dixie cups. My parents were never happy about my concoctions which they found hidden behind the bathroom trash can or in a closet. 😂
We used to do this with different drinks (non alcoholic, at first) from around the house, here's a tip: milk ruins everything
This is perfect lol! X3
@@faeriesmak yesss and the tiny cups w the fish on them
And generous amounts of cocaine!
"Female weakness" is one of the most 19th century terms I've read in quite a while.
With people like Andrew Tate, it seems to be making a comeback...
@Jason Neal I don't think that it ever really "dissappeared"
im a female and the term makes me giggle for some reason. its so dramatic
You guys know you're nuts right?
@@livingood1049 you know 99% of men are insecure and take it out on women because they blame them? yeah, they aren't nuts. that's just misogynistic rhetoric and i advise you educate yourself before you sound stupid again
I'm an archaeologist in Illinois. A few years back we found a patent medicine bottle on a late 19th century site that still had some left in it. We had it chemically analyzed. The results were... interesting. Lots of alcohol, cannabis, a bit of opium, and laudanum.
Lol of course you don't feel sick when you're drunk & high
You might not get better from the ailment plaguing you, but I guarantee you'll quit worrying about it after taking our "cure"!
@@sofdemi8042 Exactly
Sounds like a great time
Glad you were able to investigate the contents. Where was it discovered? - In a wall, under floorboards, or buried in a backyard? Was it discovered during a renovation or turned with the *soil of a farm field? ( Just curious, but understood if you are not at liberty to say.)
I have a chronic illness and the doctors haven’t helped much at all, so my parents signed up for an MLM claiming to essentially be a “cure all”. They want me to sell it and are upset that I refuse to. Patent medicines are def still a thing, just with a new name. 😢 be safe out there folks❤
Mlms suck, although as a person with a chronic condition too, some supplements are useful if you use them right, I wish that the natural remedy community and doctors who work with lab designed medications could works together instead of fighting
@@saphire_makes_artI also have a chronic condition, and I actually see a holistic dr who works with both herbal remedies and typical medicine. Both together make my condition much more manageable but it’s unreasonable how hard it is to find good drs like mine. But it’s possible to find!
They're now being heavily marketed by evangelists or right wing media hosts
@saphire1sababy378 to offer a quick correction. A lot of natural ingredients are often used in doctor made medicine. And shouldn't be confused with "natural medicine" meaning pseudoscience and people making shit up to sell placebos.
Modern medicine evolved from natural remedies and should always be considered first and foremost.
it s slightly off your opic,i m just so personally invested in the subject, sorry😂,but might want to look into ayurveda as well as dr gabor matés books, usually chronic illnesses are based in metabolism changing trauma, and ayurveda is a nice way to work with the state mind and body are in therefore and balancing that out with food, herbs, breathing and physical exercises. it s no cure but i experienced good results in relief from pain and ailments, in myself and others. i wish you the very best!
Sad that this view on women hasn’t changed much in the medical world.
Women’s pain and concerns are often brushed off at “anxiety” or “menstrual pains.”
Sooooo many times I’ve had male doctors tell me I’m fine and it’s in my head just to find out later something actually was wrong.
yeah... just have less stress and go on walks outside, easy peasy 😵
Or the time I was hospitalized for severe medical malnutrition and had multiple doctors completely ignore me and my lengthy medical history in favor of trying to diagnose me with... another, more psychological type of condition.
It's sad, just how many things they'll try to completely dismiss or talk over us about.
@@pastelshadows6437My lungs failed. By that I mean that the gas exchange process stopped. I was bedridden for six months until it finally eased (though it never fully went away).
The closest thing I got to a diagnosis was, "Anxiety."
Much the same happened when my gallbladder failed.
The more things change the more they stayed the same
Yeah I've even had female doctors like this 😭
Fun fact: my great-grandmother Lydia Pinkham Grant was related to Lydia Pinkham, the patent medicine entrepreneur and one of the first fabulously wealthy women in American history. Unfortunately, the relation was not close enough for any of that patent medicine money to come down to my family. Nonetheless, I remain eternally grateful for the piece of Portland glass that Lydia Pinkham Grant owned and came to me as a wedding present.
Oh wow, that's so cool!
:O Cool!
Also, what is Portland Glass? I tried to look it up, but all it's showing me is class installation companies 😅
@@caffienatedtactician I'm not sure whether there's another name, but that's my aunt's vernacular. It's rather plain but attractive utilitarian glassware made in the Portland, Maine area in the mid-nineteenth century. This piece is a deep glass about 5 1/2 inches high on a very squat stem with 8 repeating vertical grape leaf motifs.
I’ve been to the lydia pinkham building
I am a descendent of Lydia Pinkham as well!
These medicine shows didn't end, their form has just evolved. Where we once had a traveling circus type of setup, we now have The Dr's and Dr Oz, syndicated across the country.
Don’t forget the DoTerra and “wellness”/new age conventions! 🙃 Or influencers selling hair gummies
@@kagitsune Don't forget weight loss teas or every time you hear the word "detox".
We meet again
Except nowadays it's mostly safe & effective stuff just overpriced w/ gimmick formulas
@Ball Except not. These shows are pushing fad diets and skinny teas aka laxatives. They know it's unsafe and doesn't work.
I really appreciated you setting the stage in the beginning by telling us about the state of "legitimate" medicine at the time. I knew it was awful back then but I never directly connected it to the proliferation of quack medicine and patent medicine. Makes total sense why an average person would try snake oil, but I never thought about it before!
Or why they would try modern snake oils now!!! Doctors refusing to wear proper respirators in 2023 😩 And the essential oil hunbots crawling everywhere
@@kagitsune Also, in the U.S., especially in red states which refuse to accept Federal money for Medicaid (because *those people* don't deserve it... ahem...) quackery can consume a lot of the oxygen not being given to real medical advice.
@@kagitsune Exactly! A lack of access to advanced health care has people out here downing bleach and ivermectin (not for worms). The only thing that was better about the patent medicines was that alcohol and opium might make you feel a bit better.
@@iriandia If I had to choose between downing laudanum and downing bleach...
I did find that maybe the most interesting part. I don't feel like I have the time to sit down and learn debunked scientific theories, but when I happen to learn about them like this, it's maybe the most comprehensively designed fictional universe that exists and it's very cool.
One of my favorite media depictions of patent medicine is in RDR: Undead Nightmare, when you meet this snakeoil salesman (who's also in the main game) who's selling what he calls a "zombie repellent" miracle elixer. It actually attracts zombies instead.
😂😂
I'm so sorry, but jumping straight from "buy my magic oil made with herbs and things™ that only I know to solve your every health problem," to the sponsor ad "buy this facemask of oils and herbs to obtain flawless skin" absolutely wrecked me 😂😂❤❤💖🖤
When I was a kid my grandma fell for the order on TV herbal remedies scams. She ended up very sick from taking what amounted to vitamins and herbs and ended up in immune system failure. Luckily she was able to be treated at University of Michigan Hospital and lived, but her chances were very low.
When Kaz says “although natural, not innocuous” it’s so very true.
The ending bit of this still existing today hits hard for me tbh. My maternal grandma desperately needs knee surgery, it’s something everyone has noticed: her ex-husband, her current husband, my paternal grandma, cousins, etc
But she’s so distrustful of the medical system that she refuses to seek any medical help, only seeking “natural remedies” As a disabled person myself, it’s hard for me to blame her, the medical system is messed up. But she desperately needs it and all of us have been trying to support and convince her to take that step
It’s such a complicated and messy issue and makes me all the more angry that it still happens, especially when you see someone you really care about get stuck in the rabbit hole. So the compassion side of this and how it’s still prevalent today is something I appreciate and was very glad you brought up
The more you try to push, the most she’ll double down because, if you are trying to take her autonomy, she’ll keep the power she has by exercising her power to say NO. Back off, respect that she doesn’t want to right now, and when you aren’t harassing her to do what she has apparently said MANY times that she doesn’t want to do with her own body, then she’ll be more likely to decide to do it. You can’t force her, and continuing to try to force her is only going to result in doing more of what you know isn’t working, and could actively be getting her to push back more.
@@Author.Noelle.Alexandria I understand where you’re coming from but I think you misunderstood. No one is forcing her to go kicking and screaming to surgery. Like I said, we are all supportive of her and doing our best to slowly get her more comfortable with the idea.
When I said she’s deep in the rabbit hole, I mean she is fully getting into MLMs and scams to try and fix this. It’s less about trying to force her to do something and more trying to help her out of that because not only is it putting her health at risk, it’s actively hurting her financially
Sometimes supporting people means you need to be there to tell someone when what they’re doing is self destructive
Also never once in my comment did I ever say this is something we bring up constantly with her or she has pushed back on us many times, and CERTAINLY never harassed her on.
It’s been a few years now, and no one has brought this up with her until recently when it’s gotten much worse to the point she can’t walk without help (and she refused to use a cane until recently). We thought she would on her own, but then she got into scams to fix it instead. And has slowly been becoming more open to idea because we have been helping her through this,,, not harassing her lol
This issue is, as I said, complicated and you really shouldn’t butt into situations you don’t fully understand the nuance and context of.
I fully get this, it’s the same for my nana and her mental health, as well as just issues she’s having as a result of getting older. I understand very sincerely why she doesn’t trust doctors to help her, and a lot of time they don’t and won’t. but I just wish she wouldn’t buy into these MLMs and scams that only seek to exploit her. It’s an upsetting situation to be in, but I hope that someday it can get better, and we can push for change so this doesn't keep happening. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I hope it isn’t.
For the future’s sake
God, my mom is in the same situation with Crohn's. She's terrified of modern medicine. Her and I have both dealt with our fair share of terrible doctors so it's hard to tell her "trust the doctors" when I know that a lot of doctors are arrogant asshats who don't care at all about their patients.
Your maternal grandmother sounds like my paternal grandmother. She's been having issues with her hips and legs for YEARS and can barely walk without supporting herself against something, and only recently started using a cane (though she honestly needs a walker). She's unfortunately not only stubborn as heck but also easily becomes a victim for quack :/
It frustrates me so much, but also makes me sad. Her distrust and reluctance to get medical help makes no sense either, since she's very adamant that her husband (my paternal grandfather) gets the help he needs, regardless if it is operations or medicines.
Sigh. I guess I should be happy that she at least uses a cane now, and that we thankfully convinced her to take the COVID vaccine when it was due.
What used to be called patent medicines are now marketed as “herbal supplements.” Through a loophole in FDA regulations, “dietary supplements” are not regulated as drugs, even though medicinal claims are typically made for them.
There's even a (very strange to navigate) gray area, where doctors recommend certain supplements in VERY specific cases. It's led to some awkward moments visiting my pharmacy (inside a grocery store), and being told what I was recommended is in the section with all the "random detox pills" 🫢
@@hanthonyc They meant “over there in the placebo section.”
Idk. Many of them do work.
Look at milk thistle.
They really need to close the “nutritional supplements” loophole.
@@AlexanderBlues1228 I couldn’t agree more.
0:14 those people who do not know what consumption is and they play Red Dead Redemption Two and finish the game, it’s *tuberculosis*
My grandmother told me a story about how her father passed away from a "wooden" tooth implant that replaced one of his front teeth. This was in the midwest in the late 20's. That story never made much sense to me. But with this context, that story is absolutely understandable. He probably fell victim to a quack dentist.
As a young person who has implants.....and also had 2 that became infected, crunched thru my jawbone and failed....
Wood 🪵? That gives me secondhand cross generational anxiety😂.😮😢 It's like a bacteria sponge. He probably died of sepsis....and also that would hurt like a B.
@@eacorpe88 sorry to hear it. I'm gonna need a few one day myself. Supposedly my great grandfather died when the infection spread to his brain. That's what my grandmother said, anyway.
I work in a nursing home; a lot of our ladies are 100, 101, and were born in the 1920's era. The amount of information dawning on me right now is fabulous and insane. To think that their parents and grandparents going through the majority of all the craziness-
My dad did some genealogical research in the 90s including interviewing many older relatives, not sure the oldest but he's talked about family members born as early as the 1890s and one peculiarity that I'll always remember is our oldest relatives believed that having a bathroom and a kitchen inside the house was unsanitary. I don't know if they meant having both in the same building but the way he talked about it, it sounded like they thought both of them were gross separately. Pretty wild how much has changed in the past century.
@@amoureux6502it's prolly because in 1890s outhouses were common than bathrooms. I'm from India and still in some parts of modern day india bathroom in home isn't actually ideal. Outhouses just adjacent to houses(especially those used by guests)are more preferable. Though, this culture has, for most parts, been slowly disappearing.
1920s too. that was the era of putting Radium into everything.
Why isn't it ideal? In your heat doesn't the outhouse stink like hell.@@AashalataPandey
I love how Kaz just has a mock Victorian apothecary with legit branding in their home.
It’s so rough hearing all this horrible misogyny around “female trouble” but at the same time I am in the process of getting a hysterectomy because my periods are so bad that I will indeed fall to the ground insensate, half conscious, with a scream of agony when it’s that time of the month 😂
Oof, I feel this. Are you still waiting for surgery? The hardest part is the first week post-op. Pooping will be scary. Around week five, you may eject something that looks like vermicelli. Don't worry, it's not actually pasta.
Female Trouble would make a great band name
Sounds like female weakness.
I prescribe testosterone.
I feel ya there, good luck with the surgery 🤞🏼
oof, i feel you. good luck with the surgery, wishing you a safe recovery!
I really appreciate how much empathy you have/foster for people of the past. It’s very human to look back and want to feel superior to those who came before.
Kaz-
I think you would deeply enjoy looking into the history of cocktails, something you touched on breifly in this video. It’s an insane rabbit hole that combines Victorian medicine and New Orleanian counter culture of the time, as that was where they began. It’s super fascinating because they were considered medicine, it’s like imagining what if in an alternate universe it was normalized to order codiene or benedryl with your dinner, but instead it was cocktails that caught on. It’s super interesting stuff. During prohibition, restaurants would pose as part time pharmacies to continue creating them.
Soo... Basically Lean? The purple drank? 😂
I like how you stressed that people of the past were not less intelligent than we are now for trying or believing these things. I think it's especially easy for someone today that struggles with a chronic condition and has seen so many doctors that can't fix it, to understand what people were going through back then. Even with today's technology its exhausting doing all the research and verifying the claims of different products when you have to go through so many.
Yes, and to add to this... doctors are often either so complacent they don't care, or are too afraid to do anything that's out of the status quo.
I had a life threatening event happen a few years back, and my surgeon saved my life! However any difficulty I have since then, they (every specialist) ALL want me to go back and see this surgeon.
The man is busy ok?? 🤣🤣 he can't treat my every ailment! He did his job, now I beg of these other doctors to PLEASE do theirs!! Rather than look at me like 🤡 have you tried Gabapentin 🤡
Yes, literally 2 decades ago. Can we please move onnnnn???? 😆😆
Gosh, it's truly a mess for the chronically I'll right now. But as we see in this... there are ebbs and flows with progress. I hope we have just been in a SERIOUS ebb the last few years, and we are about to get some nice flow because I CANT TAKE ANYMORE EBB!! 🤣🤣
@@cv6442as someone with several chronic illnesses, I wholeheartedly agree. I cannot stand the western medical establishment right now.
@@cv6442But have you tried gabapentin???
(For real, that medication fucked me up.)
As someone with a genuine phobia of medical professionals and medical procedures I can totally relate to the poor victorians who would choose herbal over hospital. Me too,.every single time sadly
No judgement, but can you explain what having that phobia feels like? It’s interesting to me, and I’m genuinely curious in what ways they are scary. Like is it the tools they use to perform procedures that may appear intimidating , is it the fear of them making terrible mistakes when treating you?because of past trauma?or is it something like just the fact they are a doctor scares you. thanks I’m advance.
Can only speak for myself but long term, consistent, numerous negative experiences with drs and a variety of medical professionals. Also squeamishness.
@@dewmongo2881The fact that doctors traumatize child patients so they can spend millions on therapy and medications, it's pretty simple
Same here! All I heard from my elders while growing up was that anyone who goes to the hospital ends up dying there…. I know it’s false… but still… it’s so ingrained in me that the fear will always be in the back of my mind.
Its funny because I actually am truly in awe at how much medical science has advanced and I put a lot of faith in modern medicine. I think herbal and eastern medicine is generally horseshit and would never choose it instead. But I HATE going to Hospitals and I hate Doctors. Really and truly not exaggerating here. It doesnt help the majority ive met are dickwads with their demeanor and the way they look down at patients. When I was a teenager I was flagged at a physical for having abnormally high blood pressure and got put through a battery of tests including EKGs and long-term studies. I tried to communicate that I was fine its just my anxiety around medical professionals. Ya a while later they determined I was perfectly healthy but had 'White Coat syndrome' (their words). My policy in life is to do whatever I can to stay as healthy as possible to stay away from hospitals, but also would never allow my personal biases cloud my judgment if I did become ill or injured needing treatment.
Older UK people like myself will remember a comedy song called “Lily the Pink” about an amazing ‘medicinal compound’ which reached number 1 in the UK charts in 1968. It’s based on an older folk song about Lydia Pinkham’s patent medicine, something I only realised when watching this video, wondering about any connection and then googling.
Lol I am a fairly young Canadian, but I was just wondering if this had any connection to that song xD
My brass band has played lily the pink several times! When I heard lydia pinkman I went oh no way. No idea it was about a real person!
i really liked this video!! as a disabled person with disabled friends, there are also a ton of able-bodied loved ones around us who become the victims of these quacks in attempts to cure us-- even if we already have life-sustaining medication perscribed to us. one of the things i really loved about "The Owl House" was how it addressed the topic, but also didn't at all villainize or fully victimize Eda and Lilith's mother who had been similarly conned (the "didn't fully victimize" is an important wording since their mother took away the girls' medicine (without telling them or asking for consent!) that helped mitigate the symptoms of their magic-chronic-illness. BUT the episode also didn't make her the villain since she too had been conned into thinking this act had been the right thing to do, and instead had the quack of a con-man be the episode's real villain), since disabled people's problems are often over-looked and the media usually brands us as tragic "I'd be better off dead" characters (im still so glad to this day a friend warned me about "Be Before You" ending in the disabled romantic-lead comitting suicide as part of the plot) or as inspiration porn but only as inspiration for able-bodied people specifically. The Owl House was really refreshing in that sense! (i would like to shout out that the youtuber Oakwyrm has some great analysis of that episode and others' about using allegory for disability representation, the goods, bads, and Joanne Rowling *ugly shudder*)
what you talked about here is a problem that's been rampant on tiktok (such as the infamous pink sauce, I think MatPat made an episode about it on his food theory channel) in addition to pre-existing with disabled people. it was really wise of you to bring up the parallels in history repeating itself from then and now! im extremely impressed and definitely going to leave a Like. thank you so much for such a well-polished and eloquent essay ♡
Oakwyrm Mentioned!! i love their video essays, and yes, 100% agree
That last bit hit me hard. I'm disabled in a whole bunch of ways (Joints, neurological system issues, mental health issues, etc), and I've been trying to fight for an epilepsy diagnosis for the past two months. The MRI was likely the wrong type to pick up epilepsy. The EEG might have been read as normal or subclinical due to the bias of my neurologist refusing to say that my seizures are more than migraines. I get focal seizures daily and I've had ones similar to GTC ones a few times and it is terrifying, along with developing a fear of SUDEP and being gaslit by my neurologist office with them saying I cannot have epilepsy due to not completely losing consciousness with every seizure. It only really started developing a few months ago and I've already been saddled with the "We don't fucking know, just have this diagnosis so you shut up" disorder for neurology (Conversion disorder). All of my experiences point to epilepsy or something extremely similar going on, along with all the time I've talked to epileptics about it.
I'm so ready to give up on a diagnosis but it could potentially kill me. So I was thinking about alternative cures for a while.
But, a little encouragement might just help me keep fighting for care I need.
Hey!! idk if youll see this bc its 2 months later, but do some research into Tuberous Sclerosis Complex!
Its the condition I have, and your experience really matches what I deal with. I am diagnosed with chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, chronic kidney disease, adhd, and i experience joint pain and splitting headaches- and all of it is because of Tuberous Sclerosis.
You think you know more than a neurologist…. And you talk about a specific diagnosis like it is a goal…. Ya, red flags everywhere
I actually have an old bottle in my house of one of these "medicines". It's been passed from generation to generation.
As someone who is chronically ill, I see so many of these "old" attitudes still in place today. I have considered alternative medicine quite a bit as the medical system has failed me numerous times and I have had multiple experiences of medical gaslighting. Would you ever consider doing a video on the history of hysteria or medical gaslighting? There are doctors still out here calling their patients hysterics and hysteria has been "repackaged" into new disorders like functional neurological disorder. It would be an interesting topic, for sure, and one that the general public is not entirely aware of as well. Thanks for all your hard work, your videos are always so fascinating!
Yes big agree!!!
Right?
Dr: Well I can't figure out what's wrong and all the money you have spent has come to nothing because nothing is on my tests that I can see. Have you considered you're just a lying liar who lies?
Us: 😢 No! I need help please...
Dr: Idk go to this specialist you won't see for months and that you can't afford anyway
@@WolfieDawn Yep! Or they pull you the psychosomatic card and doom you to years of ineffective therapy while your physical health continues to deteriorate.
@@WolfieDawnthe medical industry is such a massive scam, they expect us to spend thousands for no return
Doctors still ignore fat people being sick because "the problem is you're fat, lose weight" 🙄 and then they die of cancer
as a german person who always wears a big black coat, usually has a book with them & owns several (ethically obtained dw) animal skulls, i do kinda vibe with this doctor character
you sound like a fascinating person (i mean this in the most positive way possible!)
I always love how you go into why things happened through history, not just what happened. You do amazing work humanizing the past!
I completely enjoyed this. I have family members susceptible to these kinds of quack things but I only say something if I think it’s going to cause real damage. My step mom had cancer and would use these things strapped to her feet that would supposedly draw out the toxins from chemotherapy and honest and since she wasn’t ingesting anything I wasn’t going to point out that they were turning brown because they were tea bags, not because they could draw toxins out of your feet. My sister got acupuncture because she had trouble conceiving and since she had the money and I don’t think it does any harm I didn’t point out that you can’t manipulate your energies enough to fix an inverted uterus or her husbands exposure to toxic chemicals that reduced fertility rates in everyone that was exposed to the same chemicals. When my mom tried to do a detox tea diet, though, I pointed out that starving yourself and giving yourself diarrhea is probably not the best way to go about losing weight. It’s effective, but not healthy. All of them felt kind of desperate and I think it impacted their objectivity.
Slight irony of Lydia Pinkham's is that it actually worked if you were dealing with certain actual medical issues. The main ingredient (other than alcohol) helps the body balance and hold on to estrogen. But no help for hysteria, wandering wombs, or misogyny.
It's the twenty-first century! How have we not found a cure for misogyny yet 😭
As someone who studies history in university (with interest in early modern medicine and history of mental illness) and is currently writing a bachelor thesis on melancholy in early modern England, i really love your victorian medicine videos, especially because the way you explain everything... much love from Czech republic
That set decoration is unbelievable. The effort you put in to these is incredible and just keeps getting better
33:43 Ok this is so interesting because I’m currently reading “don’t call it a cult” by Sarah Berman about NXIVM the cult/mlm. And that’s exactly what Keith Raniere did, he starting by finding vulnerable people then using powerful/influential white women to pedal his ideologies and promote everything for him, under the guise that he was helping them become better spiritually, physically, and mentally. I really appreciate this video because it just helps me understand a little bit more about how these harmful schemes can occur.
This is so on point. Thank you for calling out Gwenneth as well. As someone suffering from the neglectful, predatory modern day American Healthcare system, not wanting to throw more good money after bad, just hoping to die quickly without too much pain, at least I can be educated about how we got here in the first place. Thank you for your work. Just discovered your channel and it's helping me get through my days.
The BBC has an outstanding Victorian Pharmacy series. If you haven’t already watched it, you might like it. It’s here on RUclips. Great video. I really appreciate how you stress that the onus of blame should be on the quacks who peddled this stuff, and urged your viewers to think kindly on people of the past.
There's a rumour that the BBC are having a "The 1960's Pharmacy" reboot. It's said to be FRIGHTENING about what we put in our bodies only 60ish years ago.
Your costumes and sets are always on point and this is no exception! You pull of the old fashion styles amazingly well!
Love the video and I'm always excited when you drop another one!
Kaz! That set design is incredible. Your work on this one was outstanding!
lol I have to do it again
Oh wow it's Patrick Kelly! My other favorite commentator of medical history.
My grand-parents were both medical doctors (physicians?), they had their phds in the 50's and their careers were between the 50's and the 90's. When I moved out their house after they passed away, I found old medication samples that labs sent them to give their patients, I found so much codeine based medication samples 🤦 and the worst thing is than the posology for children was basically "cut in half"...
speaking as someone who didn't get diagnosed with my chronic illness for 6 years and started experiencing it during childhood, it's easy to understand why so many people fell for these scams back then and today. when you're in pain every single day, you get desperate, and anything seems better than what you're going through. it's worth noting too that even if you do know if may be bad for you, sometimes your suffering is so great that you don't care as long as you don't have to deal with your specific ailments anymore. it's so sad and frustrating how pervasive this is today. super interesting and fantastic video as always, really informational while still being entertaining to watch!
I'm currently rereading Deborah Blum's fantastic book about the development of forensic medicine in NYC in the 1920s, "The Poisoner's Handbook." So much of it is about the responses to turn of the century patent medicines, not to mention poisonous Prohibition "alcohol." Very much recommended!
Great book! One of my favorite reads
Oooh, thank you for sending us all this recommendation!
i LOVED this book when i read it for a class last year. highly recommend giving it a read -- super interesting information presented in witty storytelling format that does not diminish the impact of said information!
I just finished that last week. I'm not reading one on the radium girls
Doctors still use a patient’s pain in order to take advantage of the opportunity to have peers gather around and “observe” the going’s on. My labour and delivery of my daughter was attended by not one but six physicians. I was in too much pain to object their presence.
Women's pain, especially people of color, are often far more disregarded than males even males of color - isn't that awful?
Sadly, not a lot has actually changed about the medical profession. Medical error and drug side effects are still the third cause of death in the US.
@@WolfieDawn this is absolutely true and unfortunate.
@@sarareimold3151 this is also true.
@Sss I guess our pets can be overwhelmed by too many people when they are not feeling well.
Just passed out in the bathroom, made it to bed and have something to watch while waiting for the dizziness to leave me alone. You're my savior, Kaz!😍
Dr. K Rowe’s Magic and Not Poisonous Healing Oil will fix you!!
@@KazRowe most certainly!😂❤
@@KazRowe 😂
Are you okay?? Do you get feint a lot?? Take care of yourself, please, you deserve to be as healthy as you can be and happy.❤
@@WolfieDawn Yeah i'm fine now, thank you. I do faint often, usually when i'm in pain but idk what triggered it this time. Maybe i didn't drink enough, idk. Thank you so much for your well wishes! Have a nice day! :)
This is far better than the video I was looking for. Well done!
I haven’t even finished the video but the “let me check with my manager” zoom in on little stuffy followed by “it doesnt cure female hysteria cuz that’s not real. But it does cure male hysteria” SENT ME. Your comedic timing is P E A K
"It does cure male hysteria, though."
TAKE MY MONEY, KAZ.
(This essay has so many great merch ideas and I'm HERE FOR IT.)
"Gets rid of y chromosome!"
Thank goodness SOMEONE is going to cure my hysteria.
okay this is actually so specifically helpful and informative for me, thank you?? I have been going to an 1890's frontier-inspired horror LARP since last November. I play an herbalist healer of sorts who brews moonshine and sells snake oil products, hah. I like the role-play aspect of not being a "legitimate" doctor and the skills are fun. my primary healing ability is to 'rub some dirt innit' to restore hit points. I'm thinking to possibly take the character in a more shady direction with her snake oil abilities so this video (especially the intro hehe) provides huge inspiration. well done :)
Very cool!
I hope if someone ever asks you (while LARPing) if the snakeoil works, you leave a theatrical pause before you answer "sure!"
THANK YOU SO MUCH for acknowledging that medical professionals dismissing genuine concerns can lead to patients seeking alternatives. It's something I thought of too but doesn't seem discussed much. Great video!
i just found your channel and have fallen in love with it so its time for me to binge watch until there’s nothing left
Asthma cigarettes were not tobacco, but made of stramonium leaves, the commonly used treatment for asthma until the aerosol inhalers were introduced and actually were prescribed well until the 1980s. Sadly, these constantly get included in “bad historical medicine” videos or videos that discuss bad vintage tactics of the tobacco industry in the past without truly understanding what they were
While it's funny to think that the uterus moves around in the body, I can understand why it might have been believed that it could; uterine prolapse is entirely possible for people who've given birth (especially multiple times), and if it's possible for it to "fall out", you could (unscientifically, but somewhat intuitively) imagine that it could move to other places.
I'm curious if there was ever such thinking about the testes, given that testicular hernias are entirely possible.
Male hysteria was the cause of World War I.
I’m sorry, my uterus can FALL OUT?
I didn't have prolapse but my uterus became very "tilted" after my son. Also the lining started to take over the muscular layers and I had opposite day periods (-IE 4wk bleeding, one off). It took 2 years for both answers to actually be discovered. Could've been 1 ultrasound ..but nope. Gave me birth control and that made it worse....so just gaslight me for a bit first.😮
I already have a autoimmune issue necessitating a couple blood transfusions a year. So I ended up needing more of those during that time.
Even now...
We don't believe in free floating, wandering, wombs. However, we still hold on to the "you are being histrionic and just need these hormone pills. . . Bye bye)
I'd argue people turning to questionable treatments out of desperation for something accessible in the off chance it will work is a continuing problem, at least in the states. *stares daggers at the healthcare system*
One of those actually works insanely well though, even if it is a bit moreish.
Cocaine for tooth pain is so efficient it's still some times used, though other methods are more common. It's a very good local anesthetic
I had surgery last fall, and due to a morphine allergy, they actually ended up giving me a certain alternative which begins with 'fent' and ends with two more syllables (I'm not sure if it will get flagged); given how much is in the news about substances being tainted with that, I'll admit I did not realize it still had a legitimate medical use
@@bellablue5285 a lot of people don't realize that if they've ever had a surgery, they most likely have been given fentanyl haha but it's the good kind not the stuff with questionable strength and/or xylanzine on the street :p
@@jessegruber3650 ah okay that makes sense, I have trouble just taking otc stuff and I'm not in a medical or pharma field, so honestly I don't really know/recognize most of the names unless they've been on the news. I just recall being kind of in awe that it was something that still gets used therapeutically
@@bellablue5285 yes! even if you don't have allergies to morphine they do use fentanyl. on my latest surgery the last thing I heard before dozing off was the anesthesiologist saying to her assistant "now pass the Fenta" lol. and my dad was given fentanyl while being awake, the first and second day after his heart bypass surgery.
@@bellablue5285 fent* is used by the police now to calm down aggressive people when they need to solve situations. It still have uses but DONT use it after your doctor tell you "no more"
I find videos like this so incredibly interesting, especially the fact that things like that still happen with pyramid schemes and whatnot! I loved the style of the video and how you laid it out, Subscribed and excited to binge loads of your videos haha
People haven't changed much, huh? My mother is one of those people who would rather believe a "guru" than a medical professional.
I love how Kaz brings these old issues and places them in new light to show us that old timey people were just like us. Very good video ❤
The problem with pseudo-intellectuals like Kaz is that she perpetuates myths too. Doctors weren't all about killing patients for money. 19th century hospitals did keep hygiene standards. It's a bit like the nonsense about medieval ages and that people never bathed then and so called "Dark ages" when people believed the earth was flat, yet at the time it was known that the world was round like a ball and not round like a disc. To claim women's psychosomatic issues of the time were just a reaction to women going into male jobs is also not accurate and is an oversimplification. Etc.
I love how extra the whole presentation is for this video. I'm always impressed all of the staging on Kaz's special videos, but this one just goes so hard.
yay kaz you literally saved my crappy day from getting worse 👼👼
real.
Exact same thought. Stressful day. Hope yours gets better, Vincent.
were you about to buy some victorian medicine? :)
Me too. Hang in there! We got this!!!
Same here, accompanied by weekly takeout from my neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Both will cure what ails you.
As a chronically ill person, I deeply appreciate your compassionate ending. 🖤 amazing as always
What's your illness
I was caught off guard by the mention of Merz Apothecary!! It’s by far one of my favorite places. It’s near my work, I’ll often stop by for a refill of my favorite lotion after my shift and spend an hour admiring the different teas they have. I don’t even drink tea. If you’re ever in the area, DEFINITELY stop by. Amazing store and the employees are all such lovely people.
This was a really great watch. And I loved how in the end you compared it to the modern day "snake oil salesmen" we still have. Eye opening as I knew that was all BS really but never realized it was still happening today.
I avoided going to the dentist to try a "remineralizing" tooth treatment in college. I thought it worked at first because my tooth pain went away, but it turned out the nerve just died because I didn't seek care for it earlier on.
I absolutely love when you do this kind of topic Kaz, I know I’m in for a equally educational, interesting and morbid experience ❤
Kaz's narration is always interesting. As a LGBTQ person and history nerd myself I love seeing people doing essays who are like-minded. ❤
And the effort they put into the costume and pagentry just adds a cherry to the sundae
Same
I thint they are just *them*✨️
@@tenebrousoul9368 hey just checking to be sure, Kaz’s pronouns are they/them right? I saw some other comments saying she and I thought I remembered Kaz being gender neutral but I wanted to ask someone who did say “they”
@@tyegordon I honestly don't know. I was using "They/Them" just out of respect. I don't know much about Kaz behind the scenes. Sorry.
@@tyegordon Kaz has their pronouns in their RUclips about and in their instagram bio :)
which are they/them
It’s currently 4 am and I’m pulling an all nighter trying to finish art projects. This was able to keep me awake as I love learning about history
at 17:00 , the 'female complaints' sound a lot like what wearing a corset day in day out would cause...
I'm surprised I never considered how "every ailment is caused by the same core problem: out of balance humours" made so many of the horrible treatments, panaceas, and quack medicines completely logical. Thank you for the new perspective! Ditto to for driving home how medical practitioners weren't just using excruciating and ineffective treatments with a horrific mortality rate, but the classist aspects and surgeries being a humiliating spectacle. Surprised there was no mention of lightning hands Liston and his record achievement of a 300% mortality rate while operating on a single patient.
Humans have repeatedly developed extremely sophisticated and advanced medicinal systems and ideas, but with enough incorrect foundational pillars for it to go in some very wrong directions. And then there's patterns like our species's worryingly common love for things like mercury 😬
Been a silent fan for over a year but just had to comment to say how incredible the quality of your content is 😭👏✨ each one takes us on a theatrical, artistic, historical journey! Stunning production as always!
I loved this video! I really appreciate the empathy with which you discussed modern day quackery and those that fall prey to it. I’ve been chronically ill since I was thirteen, with a collection of symptoms that my doctors still don’t know what to do with… and when traditional medicine fails you, as it does so many, it is SO easy to fall victim to predatory health “professionals”. There are treatments I’ve tried that I was (and still am) embarrassed to admit to because it seems so obvious-but I was in a situation where I felt I had no other options, and I had a lot of “couldn’t hurt to try” moments. Well… trying those things left me with diagnosed PTSD, a LOT less money, and at the time made me sicker. I’m sure a lot of people taking this stuff in the Victorian era (and still today) had similar situations, and it’s not a case of being stupid-it’s being desperate and being lied to. You handled it well, and I’m happy to see the comments section is quite kind as well :)
It's so easy (and too often done) to just write these people off as stupid so we can feel superior. I really appreciate you don't do that. People have always been people, trying to get through life as best they can. And some characters will take advantage of that. We are certainly not immune to that today. The fact we want to think of people from the past as "stupid" and us as "better" makes us *more* susceptible
The museum I work at recently got a massive donation of apothecary bottles so it’s interesting to learn the history behind them
*100 years in the future*
“So you’re telling me they thought CRYSTALS could heal them?”
I need some "dr K Rowe's definitely not poison" merch for sure
Mum, used to have a book full of 1930’s dodgy advertisements about the household including patent (OTC) medicines that was extremely popular with the poor Glaswegian population. Some of these advertisements were way too scary for a young child!
Liked a lot of the fonts and lettering of that era.
Recently discovered your channel and I’m obsessed with it
FIrst time here and I think your video is educational, period inspirational (with the pharma in the background) and outfit, and very very informative. In conclusion, I was blown away by how professional this video was. Bravo!!
I was rewatching your videos when I got the notification of this video, I’m so happy! You have helped me get rid of the existential dread I would feel from hearing about any history lol but now I have a special interest in the Victorian era! The medieval period still freaks me out for some reason though lol. Your videos are so cool and the beautiful cinematography inspires me a lot. I’m sure it’s sparked an interest in history for so many more besides me because of your unique style
Oooh excited to have caught this one early! Quack medicine is so fascinating to me, I think John R. Brinkley (the "goat-gland" guy) is one of my favorites even though he wasn't quite Victorian
Every time I see Kaz’s videos they just bring me joy, I love the way they comment on all the issues of history in an entertaining and educational way
The first thing I thought of with the line,”Why would you need a medical license…”is the hospital run by John Kellogg,yes THAT John Kellogg
There is a novelty song from the 1960s about Lydia Pinkham. It's called 'Lily the Pink', and it's by the British band the Scaffold. One of the members of the band was one Mike McGear, whose brother was also in a little band called the Beatles.
As a history nerd who loves the day to day side of history your channel has become one of my favorites of the internet lmao
Saw this premiering and literally yelled in public, “PART TWO!!!!” 😂😂😂
there’s no creator i enjoy more than kaz. they are so enthralling.
I am glad you brought up that this is still occurring. I think part is that just like in the 1800's when doctors were not available to all, we are being priced out of the quality medical care today. Let's not forget how they are also targeting our image issues with this. Every time I turn around there is some new exercise, diet plan, wrinkle cream advertisement.
God I love this channel the set pieces and the outfits you display in each video really make them feel so fun and authentic.
Watching this when sick was an experience.. excellent video as always!
im so glad my notifs actually work for ur channel!! cant wait to hear abt gross stuff even tho i hate it
i love your dedication to the aesthetics
really good video!! i really appreciate the empathy that you approached this subject with. victorian medicine is so wild
24:48 "It is* not enough..."
25:12 "in terms -* consumers"
I'm a traditional herbalist and I'm so stoked about this one. Hooray you're the best! ☀️
People a hundred years from now will be saying the same about us. It's a circle we are on and quite possibly will be on until the sun goes nova. It's really astounding what we are willing to dose ourselves up with.
Duuuuuuddde… did you seriously buy a custom frosted glass sign for your apothecary!?!?! Nobody goes above and beyond like Kaz! 👏👏👏
I think it's a large printed piece of paper stuck on a mirror
@@vincentbriggs1780 I agree, but it’s a great effect for video!
@@kagitsune it is! The whole backdrop looks fantastic!
You can get translucent vinyl sheets that you can run through a Cricut and press onto glass to create a frosted glass effect.
i have discovered your channel last night, and up till that point i thought i hated learning about history, turns out i was wrong, i love this
Fantastic video as always, Kaz! If you ran a museum I would buy a membership so damn fast.
Woohoo! New Kaz vid!!!
One thing that drives me mad is how like Western European culture is hailed as the father of science and medicine but other cultures had had the scientific method for AGES like honestly us Europeans were pretty damn stupid by comparison
Im not necessarily questioning the legitimacy of the sponsors' product, but I love that the world we live in allows for 'here's a video on how marketing allowed for people to sell stuff that probably doesn't work, but first, marketing on a product that will 100% fix your skin'
(Not blaming Kaz for using sponsors either, the capitalist hellscape we live in means it's necessary for them to do what they love)
*You can't cough if you're unconscious*
I love your wonderful story/description on such an intriguing topic, and your pageantry.