Medieval Medicine: Blood, Guts, Books and Herbs!
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
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When I say Medieval medicine, you probably think of trepanning, blood letting, leeches, amputation without anaesthetic. And all that is entirely accurate. But you may not think of monastic manuscript transmission, glosses and editing, translating thousand year old Classical Greek and Roman books, pioneering Islamic medicine and research, refugees fleeing Rome, or herbal guides full of fascinating and semi magical advice!
So we'll talk about all that as well in our little chat about Viking Age, Medieval, and early Islamic medicine. And there might be the occasional Roman or Greek in there and some esoteric stuff too, just for funsies!
Check out @TheEsotericaChannel for in-depth magical and spiritual videos, well researched and well worth a watch!
Some reading:
blogs.bl.uk/di...
archive.org/de...
exarc.net/issu...
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Every time I watch, read or listen to documentaries and vlogs on Medieval medical care, I remember the well-known Welsh monk and detective Cadfael.
In very early COVID I re-read the first half of the Cadfael books - they were surprisingly comforting (especially as even "action monk" Cadfael does a lot of waiting).
I *just* finished reading _A Morbid Taste For Bones_ & put myself in line for my library's digital copy of the second book! 😊
@@kerriemckinstry-jett8625 There are 21 Cadfael books and that isn't nearly enough.
@@ranuelthebard3751 After reading the first book, I would have to agree. 🙂
What sort of curmudgeon sees this lovely, clever Viking and leaves a hate comment? For shame.
We're not that far from that period. I remember my mother recalling her grandmother's love of homemade bear fat ointment used for colds and flu. It smelled horrific and my mother used to joke that no one knew if the ointment worked, for if people just hated the smell and pretended that it worked. lol
The protection from harm (badger's foot) is probably because you'd think a person who was crazy enough to cut the foot off a badger. . .well, you're not going to mess with them. . . .
Haha, no doubt!
That "They Might Be Giants" quote you just casually slipped in there 😂 You always surprise me and I love it. Keep being you, Jimmy!
I cannot hear the name “Istanbul” without running through the rest of the lyrics in my head. Every damn time. 😂
In the sixties, Aberdeen University (founded in 1495) did not use the term 'physics department"--it was the"Natural Philosophy" department. So the concept didn't go away. (Forgive a personal remark , but that beard is pretty good).
Access and affordability remain factors in the medical treatment of the rural poor. During the Great Depression, a family member operated as a "healing woman" for her neighbors, using her still room, a herb garden --- and a WWI military medical field book. She lived into her 90s and advocated for making Red Cross/home nursing/hospital hygiene courses required in public schools.
Foxglove (digitalis) used to be used for certain heart problems. In fact it still is, but obviously in a much more controlled way. You'll hardly ever find it planted in modern reproductions of medieval monastery herb gardens because of its toxicity and because people have forgotten. However, if the plot in question actually used to be a medieval medicinal garden you can definitely find some hiding away in a corner, even after all these centuries. Often much to the chagrin of the modern local volunteers.
Also: in many places in Europe they used to use walnuts to cure headache because they kind of looked like the inside of a human head.
I remember my dad had a heart medication in the 90s which was called digitalis
Modern medicine is another one of those things where we often forget how incredibly modern it is. My grandmother for example was deaf in one ear because she'd had an ear infection as a baby and the only thing her mother could really do (in the 1940s) was take her to church and pray for her
On the other hand this was the same grandmother who would sigh longingly whenever I had period cramps because back in her day they gave you laudanum for those. So like you win some you lose some
Also the deafness was ultimately very useful because my grandfather snores but she just had to sleep on her side and bam! marital harmony preserved
As a sufferer of atopic ecsema, I experienced the march of modern medicine in real time. When I started being treated for it as a child, the doctor basically kept prescribing me a number of things none of which really worked. When it flared up terribly for me as an adult, the doctors were able not just to prescribe something that did actually help but even more importantly to tell me of ways to _prevent_ it (or at least things to watch out for). And maybe even _more_ importantly just to admit that every person may need something a bit different so if something doesn't work for me I should just try something else.
Sorry you are feeling poorly. I hope you feel better soon. This talk on medieval medicine definitely made my day better. 😊
Warm lemonade and an audiobook helps when it's raining
I enjoy hot cranberry juice when it's wet and chilly outside. Warming (from the heat) and drying (from the acidity and tannins).
Liquorice arrived in England during the Roman era and was planted and harvested as a matter of course. Since the Roman's also had a foothold in Wales it probably arrived there before those pesky Angles, Saxons and Jutes made a mess of things. Throughout this all the monasteries still grew the plant.
It is a perennial that can self sow if you you are not careful. It takes very little work to get the plant started.
I'm familiar with such medicine. Before we left the Soviet Union my family did not have much money and modern medicine was rare because of bureaucracy. My babushka would make many herbal remedies. I had strep throat several times when very small and she made a juice of beets, vinegar, and enough sugar to make it not horrendous. Maybe a little bit of alcohol sometimes. Surprisingly it was decently soothing and I didn't die. It's not toxic so give it a try for a sore throat if you want.
Radiolab podcast has an episode "Staph retreat" where a microbiologist and a disease historian use a very old recipe to successfully treat modern multi resistant staphylococcus. Awesome insights!
The NHS have been using the ‘talk about it’ method for years. Much cheaper than drugs and actual doctors.
I love exploring medieval medicine, especially the lost herbs and local knowledge of medicinal plants. Very cool stuff. Thanks for creating such fascinating videos :)
I can't help but feel horrified for them - they had it so hard. We live in unimaginably glorious times when you consider that our ancestors could very well have died an ugly and painful death from dental cavities.
Love Esoterica! The Modern Hermeticst has a great channel of translated audio books of ancient philosophers too.I would love a collaboration between you and Dr Sledge on Viking 'stuff'!
I dont remember where I read it but it was a medieval remedy from Germany to get ridd of boils.
A mix of eggshells, eggwhites and sulfur rubbed into the boil while reciting five paternosters.
The funny thing about this is that it works very well. The eggshells abrade the skin so the sulfur can enter and fry the boil, the eggwhites create a flexible protective barrier and the paternosters is the time it takes for the remedy to take effect.
The recipe was from Hildegard of Bingen, but I cannot remember which book. It might have been Physica.
Prayer was used as a way to measure time up until recently. A rosary too a certain average amount of time, so it helped the supplicant be sure that the proper amount of time elapsed. My mother( b. 1916, South Dakota, USA) was taught to sterilize glass for canning food 24:47 by measuring time in boiling water using the same method. She became an Army Nurse during WWII. She always used decades of a rosary to measure home medical care .
If you remember back to the start of the pandemic, we were told to wash our hands for a minimum of 30 seconds. Folks suggested singing through the “Happy Birthday” song twice through for 30 songs. On a health related topic, the meter for the BeeGees “Stayin’ Alive” just happens to be the correct pace for chest compressions for CPR.
Also, ooooh, another Cadfael-related topic. 😊
Cadfael! ❤❤❤
There are some fascinating reports on a dig at Soutra in the 1980s. I remember hearing Brian Moffat describing talking about it at the time. If I remember correctly the site was waterlogged so there was good organic preservation of a lot of icky stuff - like soiled bandages - so a lot of info on actual practice.
Moffatt, B., Ewart, G. J., Walker, A. R. and Ewan, L. (1986). SHARP Practice 1: the first report on researches into the medieval hospital at Soutra, Lothian Region.
Moffatt, B. and Fulton, J. (1988). The second report on researches into the medieval hospital at Soutra, Lothian Region, Scotland.
Moffatt, B., Thomson, B. and Fulton, J. (1989). The third report on researches into the medieval hospital at Soutra, Lothian/ Borders Region, Scotland.
I tried it, Brian May came after me, but was unable to harm me. 5 stars
Interestingly enough in one of the books I was looking at for alchemy. The author talked about his relationship with the apothecary and doctors. He talked about how it was more important to convince the patient than the doctors because they would not resist the patient in fear of blame. And how to go to the apothecary or herbalist to get info on what herbs to use, and that giving them a portion of your results could convince them to work with you. And that doing this well can support your research.
Crecganford is also good. He just released three videos on magic and medicine in Indo-European Thought, including things like a cure for baldness, the second Merseburg charm and its mirrors in other areas (like the RigVeda), and healing blood, bones, and intestines. Recommended.
Edit: As someone who has studied pharmacognosia (medicine from natural sources), at what time of year you pick a plant can have a huge effect on the plant's properties. Although I'm sure the medieval manuscripts sometimes made stuff up.
Crecganford is my pre-history religion go-to on RUclips :)
Thanks bro for slipping in a casual They Might Be Giants reference. Now that song's going to be in my head all day. 😂
Except it's older than TMBG. :)
This was great! Medicine has changed so much. My grandmother was born in the early 1900's. All of her stories of bad illnesses ended in convulsions and death. Such a cheerful woman. In the 60's I remember my family talking about exploratory surgery that quickened death because the cancer for air which in reality probably was that by the time they want looking for it it was all encompassing. I much prefer our medical knowledge now!!
Liked, commented and shared. I used to make wild cherry bark tincture with cotton candy vodka every year for coughs. I also used to make and AntiCold/antiflu recipe with cayenne pepper, sea salt & apple cider vinegar as well as a bruise juice of one third each witch hazel, comfrey (boneknit) and arnica.
What is cotton candy vodka?
We love your teeth Jimmy. Get well soon. 🤓🐶🧔
Addendum: We love Jimmy's teeth an appropriate and non-creepy amount, and we have no desire to collect them.
Hopefully he feels reassured about our wholesome teeth love.
Jimmy, have no fear! Your teeth are benignly treasured amongst your true fans.
@@silverjade10 Yes, spot on, we don't want to collect Jimmy's teeth, just admire them where they are. 🤓
@@johnnytasker1531 it's important to soothe any fear or discomfort he might have.
With our clear declaration of harmlessness, we are sure to succeed.
@@silverjade10 I beg to differ. I love Jimmy's videos and his dry humor, but his teeth are none of my concern. They look like perfectly normal teeth to me and I don't spend time thinking of them or admiring them. For me they're just there and that's it.
That being said, your comment was funny and made me chuckle, thanks for that! :)
@@silverjade10 Well said. 😃 Thank you.🤓
So this is my paternal Gran's recipe, she said it was passed down from her Gran(born 1770ish) Not sure where this came from originally: combine Vinegar, Butter and Sugar(honey) with warming and teaspoon to the one that has a sore throat/cough!
A lot of my cousins like me have either had or made up this up and and believe it relieved the ailment!
Great x2 grandmother's family lived around Holywell(with some members going back to 1500's) and I've wonder if it was a folk remedy picked up from the monks or something the monks learnt from the natives?
i was born in the right era. Thank god
Yea, I would probably be dead by now( unless I was a rich nobility), as I have Hasimoto( an auto- immun thyroid illness that ( when not properly medicated) slow down the bodys metabolismen: thus leaving you with a sub- par immunsystem, kidney and liver functions etc.....
There might have been things that were better " in the old days", but the healthcare was certainly not one of them
Me, chanting in the background:
bald's leech book
Bald's Leech Book
BALD'S LEECH BOOK
BALD'S LEECH BOOK!!!
✨️BALD'S LEECH BOOK!!!✨️
Look I know it's Anglo Saxon but I think it's NEAT and a girl can dream
Do not try this at home.
You know what, I'm good, I wont.
I know nothing of Medieval cures, but damned if making/using salves doesn't make you FEEL like you're doing something. XD
Feel better soon!
"Died unnecessarily" is kind of a weird way to phrase it because, yes, many of the things that out right killed people in Medieval times is preventable or treatable by today's standards, but even if they somehow magically had today's knowledge they wouldn't have today's technology. Nobody is going to be able just throw together some ingredients they have laying around their little Medieval cottage together and get amox/clav and prednisone
Edit: I just think "unnecessary" is a weird qualifier for deaths that occured because the technology for treatment hadn't been discovered/invented yet and better fits as a qualifier for deaths that occur because of a failure of societal systems.
I was reading my grandmother's memoir recently and in it she talked about the President's son (US president, 1920s) dying of an infected blister, so what we describe as "unnecessarily" has expanded in the post-antibiotic age.
@@margotmolander5083antibiotics weren't made until the late 1920s, even then when new medications were first created we didn't have the same consumer protection policies in place as today either so even if you went to a doctor and they prescribed a "modern medicine" there were still a lot of risks
@@darthplagueis13 the video specifies that basic wound care, such as cleaning and using boiled water, was known in this time period. I still think it's a weird qualifier because germ theory hadn't been discovered yet and you can't really fault people for what hasn't been invented or discovered. I equate "unnecessary" with more modern incidences before consumers protection and deaths caused by societal system failures. To call Mideval deaths unnecessary because the technology didn't exist when today the technology does exist but has limited access because of geopolitical factors just comes off as weird semantics for me
I commented on how handsome you were when you began and by the gods are you not glowing up into an extremely desirable gentleman.
Admiring from afar.
Galen. Who every classicist and medievalist I've met has wanted to tell me about can't imagine why.
You get hate mail about your TEETH! How bizarre....
The Internet is a strange place.
Love how I can turn to this channel whenever I want to learn about history ❤
Good teeth hygiene really does make for better overall health. As a diabetic, can confirm. Hope you feel better soon Jimmy.
His teeth are fine. They're just yellow because he drinks a lot of tea.
Kind of funny watching sponsor Jimmy from Montréal...
Yay! Uploaded just in time to be crafting company
That was very interesting regarding people traveling around spreading knowledge
The absolutely most horrific thing I´ve seen in person was a hand and a spine where the individual bones were fused together from arthritis/the strain the person was under. Even worse, this was the same guy.
The amount of disclaimers in this video is on point! Hilariously so. Thank you! Absolutely interesting. One of the weirder ones (that weren't just down right gross) I've come across is to put a union under your pillow (or in a bag around your neck). I've come across is quite a few places, including victorian remedy manuals. And oldie but goodie? It always varies what it cures but basically anything it seems.
Brian May will come after you in the night. 🤣
Rock me Apuleius!
Yay! Up to date! Also... Ancient medicine can be sooooooooooo scary 😢😂 like, more horrible than the illness
As usual I start eating while watching RUclips and hearing about pus and stuff. 😵💫😩 Lol
I love the idea that, to anyone unaware of Brian May's campaigning against badger culls, it might sound as though he'll come for you in the night because he is, in fact, a badger in disguise
Favorite "cure" (granted a bit later) has to be mercury for syphilis. In some ways the treatment was way worse than the disease!
Much later than medieval period, syphilis was treated by giving the patient malaria. The high fever killed the spirochete and then the malaria was cured by quinine.
Get well soon, kind sir! ☕️🍇🍊🍞
You need to do more videos like this
3:09
Good form
I'm so glad I don't live in the medieval period.
Perhase after hunting down and killing a badger ane new wounds will not even register over the badger mauling
Not sure it's the right niche but have you ever thought of making a coop with Schwerpunkt? I'm sure you guys have a lot to say in an interview
But Jimmy... What if I WANT Brian May to come after me...?😅😅
Aerobic exercise when you can.
Two cold showers a week.
Drink an extra pint of water a day.
Eat two tins of oily fish a week.
I do this, the cold shower is a bit of an ask, but as Nike says ... just do it. .... Fun fact .... inspired by the last words of Gary Gilmore before execution.
65 in May and can't remember when I had a cold last.
I live in Florida and take cold showers exclusively from about May to the end of September and yet I get bronchitis at least twice a year. Time to up the oily fish I guess.
@@ranuelthebard3751 I got bronchitis every year because I wasn't vaccinated for the flu. Flu weakened me & it settled into my lungs & became bronchitis. Get vaccinated for flu every year without fail, take vit C every day & you should avoid getting bronchitis attacks. I haven't had bronchitis in over ten years since I started getting vaccinated for flu. Also get checked for asthma.
The mom part of my brain wants to wrap you in a warm blanket straight from the dryer and give you a cuddle.
Thanks for another interesting exploration into the differences between medieval and modern thought processes. Get well soon. 😊
hehehehe i like that song
Are you sad when it rains or does it rain when you're sad?
❤❤❤❤❤
S'mae Jimmy. Mae Syr Tim Berners-Lee yn fyw
Like deployed 👍
joooo
Wut.
My grandfather (born 1856) was a doctor, in the days when if you had to wait for the medicine to arrive, your patient died. I inherited his "herbal" a collection of remedies that he used, to treat patients when he wouldn't be able to get the proper medicine in a timely manner. Of course some of the remedies include things that are no longer legal, such as opium and cocaine, but most of the items in the book are simple things that you could find without a lot of trouble such as beeswax, rose hips, comfrey, rice flour
It's an incredible thing to have, it's in rather delicate condition due to it's age and improper storage. I have no idea when he gathered these recipes from, were they folk remedies, taught in the medical school he attended, both? Because of my Native heritage (Bear Clan Chahta) I have no doubts that some of them came from natives. Some of the drawings he did in pencil have faded to barely being visible as well
Anyway, that's what I know of "herbals"
That is extremely interesting! You should make sure to document it!
Definitely worth, if you can afford it, getting that precious book professionally re-bound.
A cheaper and easy, option would be to photograph each page and make your own ‘book’ in your phone’s photo album,
(just so you can reference that, instead of handling the book itself too much),
or even get it printed.
Wonderful inheritance; congratulations! 😊
Re teeth: I read somewhere that people's teeth were less likely to have the refined sugar decay we get in the modern era, but WAY MORE LIKELY to have problems from fine grit in flour basically sanding their teeth over time. Plus, poor nutrition isn't exactly great for bone density.
Doesn’t help with unsafe business practices like when bakers are adding chalk to bread so they can sell more off less flour
Not medieval, but a family story from the late 1800s. My 3x great-grandfather lost an arm in a railroad accident and they buried the arm in a box on their property. While his stump was healing he had horrible phantom pains so his father dug up the arm and saw the fingers were curled up. So he straightened them out and reburied the arm... because of course that's the solution.
Does every family have a story like this? Mine was some great great relative who had her leg cut off. They put it in the icebox. She kept saying it was cold. So they wrapped it in a blanket. Why did these people do weird stuff with their severed limbs? At least burying it makes more sense, instead of keeping it in the icebox like a southern child's souvenir snowball.
but did it work? i need to know 😂
@@winkleperiwinkle808 according to the typewritten page I have detailing the story, yes. Haha
😂
Thats fantastic.
Mirror therepy they do on patients now is sort of similar though. The minds a strange thing.
I have a strange circle of people who told me about it the other week. 😂
Blood letting maybe had some kind of benefits if you were celtic and suffering from heamochromotosis.
The celtic curse.
It's always laughed out as an idea. So I looked it up years ago and came to diseases of iron.
Looking at the medieval madness memes. Weird rabbit hole
I had to give blood once a month for hemophilia; modern bloodletting. My uncle died of the disease - bloodletting is lifesaving, in this one case!
Nobody's business but the Turks.
I was hoping I wasn't the only one to catch that! 😄
You are my hero, Jimmy! I am a modern herbalist who reenacts as a medieval herbalist, and teaches about medieval medicine. I have copies of all of Hildegard of Bingen's works, the Trotula, and some of Avicenna's works, now I have to find Cotton MS Vitellus C III! The herbal remedies are so interesting, and a few make some sense with modern herbal thought- not all, but some. Thanks for always doing such wonderful research!
I love Esoterica! His channel is great! Wonderful series on Alchemy!
16:48 Is it using boiling water to clean wounds, or *boiled* waters ? Asking because apparently it's a common thing for opticians to have to spell out to people that you *can* use boiled water to wash your eyes, but that it has to be boiled AND THEN COOLED. Not boiling. At least if you want to keep the eye.
I'm glad I'm not the only one to catch that. The thought of pouring boiling water on an open wound is 😬. You think iodine is bad???
I can totally see opthalmologists having to spell that out for people. People aren't too good at common sense.
Not medieval, but when I was in elementary school I was assigned a project on the US Civil War, and one of the options was to research medical treatments. An option for part of the project was also to make something based on our research, so I decided to re-create a medicine from the period. The only recipe I could find that didn't involve anything poisonous was essentially a sort of oatmeal.
I wish you all the sun your heart desire! I love your chair, it looks so soft.
I love the c-section of a 4 year old at 18:24. I have to admit that I lost a lot of blood recently and I was thinking about the mothers of the past having to deal with a newborn and possibly toddlers while feeling THAT sick. Man, I don't envy them.
I like how it's just a perfect circle
A lot of the new mothers back then could likely rely on extended family or their community, so they would likely just be on the hook for breastfeeding - and maybe not even that if someone they knew also had a baby. I hope you're feeling better!
@@sarahwatts7152I thought it was shared. And that's where "wet nurses" came from.
Families with daughters shared it. Then the rich stole their daughters to do it.
@@sarahwatts7152 Yeah you are totally right, I was just thinking about mothers who never stopped working in the field even for an entire day even when they deliver a baby. I guess if they are sick they don't do that! But even so, I don't think I could have breastfed anyone, newborn or otherwise. I'm feeling better but it took 2 weeks and I have no idea how long until I'm back to square one.
Wait a minute. People say mean things about your teeth?? What is it with people??? I, personally, think they’re wonderfully strong and capable chewing instruments.
Sorry you're under-the-weather, but you're looking very dapper!
You should make replicas of things and hawk your wares w.v.
I would like to purchase a amulet of a badger tooth with anti Brian May properties.
Good grief, I can't believe people are on your case about your totally normal looking teeth! 😮🤦♀️
was gonna say the same. It's so ridiculous. Man's got healthy teeth, cue shock and horror 😂
Jim, your teeth are actually pretty perfect. You're a very beautiful (and knowledgable) man. F*ck what people 'think' -- or lay claim to think.
Please keep this stuff coming, and I really appreciate your time. You're a natural educator.
I have never before commented on an ad read in a video, but this one is so deliciously unhinged, I'm glad I didn't skip past it.
Video Jimmy: "... Tim Berners Lee died for!"
Editing Jimmy: "(He's absolutely not dead!)"
Greetings from another They Might Be Giants enthusiast! Hope you're feeling better soon.🙏🏽 Best wishes from Czechia.
We still kind of have some of those remedies. Not long ago, I heard about a "Pray Yourself Thin" fad. People said it worked (hint: there were exercises involved 😂).
My favorite in terms of medieval medicine has to be that plants shaped like body parts were good for curing what ails that body part. Many plants ended up with names suggestive of their probable use, e.g. lungwort. Naturally, plants with a certain long, sticky up shape were probably used for certain issues.
@@genevievenoble8120 I love Terry Pratchett's take on so many of those things! 😂
You made me laugh with "Brian May will come after you in the night" not the least because I was already thinking of him, and a moment later you made laugh yourself, and that's just delightful when that happens. 😊
I always feel better when i realize how far we have come and I'm not just labeled a hysterical female and having exorcisms, trepanning and leeches performed on me for menopause.😂
Rabbit testicle wine doesn't sound good either 😊
as a disabled person with chronic pain, I'm very grateful for modern science and medicine. I would not have survived lol
It's funny you should post this video today because today was the first time I made tea from the devil's walking stick plants that grow in my yard. I'm a bendy neurodivergent spoonie with allergies and asthma and for the first time in memory I don't feel my lungs being angry because the tea is an expectorant and sedative. I feel....so light and relaxed probably cuz my body is not screaming about low oxygen levels lol
Of course people have known for thousands of years throughout the world, of the health benefits of the bark of the willow (salix) tree, from which in modern times has synthesized into acetylsalicylic acid, or just plain old aspirin.
Somewhere in my ridiculous collection of books I have my college chemistry lab book that has labs on synthesizing aspirin from willow bark and wintergreen. Somewhere around 80% of prescription medications are either derived from plants or are synthesized to match chemicals found in plants. When Jimmy mentioned strawberry leaf tea, my mind immediately went, "Oh yeah, that's one of the more effective and safe herbal laxatives out there."
6:39 - and if you're lucky, the herbalist will also be a crack crime scene investigator and detective. 😉
A turnip poltis bought to you by St Baldrick
So, I have terrible teeth, got arthritis, so my reenactment is on point!
Ha ha! I have arthritis and I’m a 60 year old woman into herbs and herbal remedies. My reenactment is also totally on point.
My favourite medieval ailment/treatment to talk about is always "wandering womb" (also called both hysteria and uterine suffocation) because oh boy is it wild (and really sexist). The Trotula, a medieval book on women's health, suggests treating it exactly the way Hippocrates and Galen did. Unfortunately for the poor uterus owner, that meant either bleeding you (gotta love humoral theory) or coaxing the uterus back into place with a method I'll politely call scent therapy
If I remember correctly, it involved some really horrible concoction with badger testicles or something like that...? Medieval medicine is wild.
@@MsSteelphoenix It's been a while so I don't remember what ingredients went into the foul smelling part of the treatment, just where it was supposed to be placed and that it was supposed to be used in opposition to sweet incense
Yeah! Love that part of the Trotula!
I know there have been people in the past whose cavities have been so bad it’s killed even. Even today, people should take care of their teeth. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have dentists and toothpaste. My friend’s brother-in-law’s teeth rotted and he now is intubated in the hospital with meningitis right now.
There is a shortage of dentists in my area for people on Medicaid or Medicare (upstate NY). Unless you are a child or it's an emergency, there is no one to help. I lost 4 teeth after waiting 4 years for a Medicaid dentist.
@@LadyValkyri That is absolutely horrible. I truly hope my comment in no way made you feel bad. I sincerely did not mean to attack anyone. Lack of access to dental and healthcare is a massive problem that I don’t see anyone doing enough to change. The area I am in is severely underserved for Medicaid patients as well. Four years is beyond ridiculous. I absolutely hate that you dealt with that.
@@missvidabom You're fine, hon. No worries! Hugs
It's a disgrace that in the US in the 21st century people are still dying or suffering life altering effects from things that we know how to treat or prevent because our healthcare system is broken. I used to work at an acute rehabilitation hospital as a secretary for the director. That's where you go if you are well enough to do rehab but are still sick enough to need 24hr medical care. It's an actual specialty hospital not a nursing home. I remember being shocked when we got a patient on the brain injury team who was there because a bad tooth had caused an infection that ate through the sinuses and into the brain.
Regular dental care would have prevented it but when someone lacks dental insurance and bills need to be paid then going to the dentist every 6 months is very low on the list of priorities.
Completely off topic but what kind of tie is that? Is it just a bow tie tucked behind the collar? Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes always wore one like that
What an icon!
"Don't try this at home. Please... Badgers are protected, they are really cool and Brian May will come after you at night..." this one got me 😂😂🤣🤣🙈
And don't they have TB as well? I would think "don't touch animals with nasty diseases" wouldn't be something you have to tell people, but then there are signs all over the Grand Canyon "don't touch the squirrels, they have plague". (Yes, like, Black Death plague.)
@@margotmolander5083 I mean, it's spring, so it's starting to be stupid tourist season again. We've already had several people injured trying to get pictures with wild animals this year. Yes, you have to tell people obvious things.
And just when I thought "we don't need no stinking badgers.", there is in fact a valuable purpose.
@@margotmolander5083 I forgot about that one! But yeah that does seem to be the case...
I don't even know if it's simply faith mixed with desperation and poverty that still leads people to turn to wiping a handkerchief on a statue of a saint and praying that will make a baby born blind see or take away someone's cancer.
Nothing against the practice if that's what keeps them going, but I am glad my religious parents believe in science and medicine, too.
"Je suis au Canada!" 😆
Well done, Jimmy. All you need now is checkered shirt, a tuque and some piping hot poutine.
Side note : my Scottish grand-mother used to apply blessed Easter Oil to my legs wheneven I complained of growing pains as a child. She was a devout Catholic and I guess the oil did me no harm.
The development of medicine really is a horror show and yet tragically funny with enough distance. They tried so hard, didn’t they?
But I have to wonder… How many lives were saved by *not* having access to Humorism?
Rabbit testical wine sounds horrible!
Upvoted for They Might Be Giants reference. Also: Get well soon!❤
Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks.
I can confidently say it was the Brother Cadfael series that got me curious about historical herbalism and herbal study and remedies and I've greatly enjoyed these subjects since watching that series (Ive owned it for over 10 years haha) so this video was definitely a treat to watch. The subject is fascinating how outrageous some 'cures' and medicines were and then how practical many truly were, stuff we still use today both in a pinch or simply found in our supplements and over the counter drugs/meds today.
Sosban Fach over the credits is sooooo appropriate on this one. It seems Mari Ann’s poultis worked on this occasion 😂
Da iawn, Jimmy ❤