It's interesting to take a look back into our past, and explore what life was like before the technologies of today. It's amazing to think of the things we do today, without a second thought, as being nonexistent a few hundred years ago, if not less. There are the obvious inventions, like when we take a vacation up north for the summer in our cars and SUV's, but 200 years ago, the same vacationers were on horse and carriage, taking more than a day to travel the distance that now takes us an hour or two. Let's take a look back in time and see how our ancestors managed in their day to day lives.
Imagine waking up with a toothache. We call the doctor, and go in to see the dentist, later that day. They use their high tech machinery to take a look at the tooth, maybe have us go for an x-ray, and use their extensive background knowledge in their field to determine the appropriate next steps of action to help us heal. According to a dentistry book published in 1828, "Domestic Medicine for the use of the private practitioner" by William Buchan, this was the normal practice when dealing with a toothache: "In order to relieve the tooth-ach, we must first endeavour to lessen the flux of humours to the part affected. This may be done by mild purgatives, scarifying the gums, or applying leeches to them, and bathing the feet frequently with warm water. The perspiration ought likewise to be promoted, by drinking freely of weak wine-whey, or other diluting liquors with small doses of nitre."
A couple hundred years ago a man started experiencing terrible pain caused from gout. The disease prevented him from stopping a passage of tax on tea in Parliament. That tax led to the Boston Tea party, and allowed the American colonies to gain their freedom. Imagine what it would be like today, missing a day of work because of gout. We now have medicine and treatments that nearly completely eliminate the pain and joint damage caused by the disease. What if we didn't have medical school equipment? Our doctors would be schooled entirely by books, and not at all with hands on practice in the lab, x-ray division, or surgical department. The tables were not sterile, neither were the needles or any other instrument that they had.
Our troubles were completely reprioritized before the invention of these treatments and machinery. People suffering from arthritis could hardly walk, they were pretty much limited to make-shift crutches or canes, and that was only after the invention of those tools. It's interesting to see how far we've come, and the changes that have occurred in our everyday life, dealing with ailments and situations that people a couple hundred years ago, also faced. Time will always move forward, and so will our advancements in technology and hospital medical equipment, but it's always informative and interesting to take a look back and see how far we've come.
If you would like more information about medical school equipment or the newer technology available in hospital medical equipment, please visit the Medical Machines Online website. |
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