Bad Medicine
Medicine is the science of caring for patients and improving their health. While a vast array of medical knowledge exists today, there is still a lot we don't fully understand regarding the human body and the human condition. Unfortunately, on our quest for knowledge, we've made quite a few mistakes along the way.
Here are a few of the things medical practitioners have gotten completely wrong over the course of human history.
The Miasma Theory
(Circa 400BC. - 1800 AD)A theory that had considerable currency during the 18th and 19th centuries as a way to explain the origin and propagation of some epidemic diseases, particularly cholera. The theory was that the cause was miasma, an ill-defined emanation from rotting organic matter. The theory derived empirical support from the observed distribution of malaria and yellow fever in marshy regions, until it was discovered that these are mosquito-borne diseases. Source: Oxford Dictionary
Before the germ disease theory, the Miasma theory was a leading theory regarding the spread of disease. Versions of this theory existed as far back as Ancient Greece. Basically, it posited that "miasma" (Greek for pollution), or bad air causes disease.
They believed miasma came from rotting organic material and that inhaling it directly led to the disease.
While they weren't entirely on the wrong path - rotting organic material can certainly spread germs and disease - the miasma or air itself wasn't the root cause of the disease spread.
Amputations
While not always bad medicine, amputations were a much more common prior to the advent of modern surgical techniques. Amputations are one of the oldest medical practices, dating back tens of thousands of years. As surgeons didn't have the tools, medicine, or knowledge to fix many problems, often the only option was to amputate the affected limb in order to prevent deadly infections from spreading.
It's estimated that over 60,000 amputations occurred during the American Civil War. Skilled surgeons knew how to quickly amputate limbs without unnecessairly damaging important arteries and tissue.
Amputations used to be done under unsanitary, horrific conditions, usually without any form of pain relief or anesthesia. Despite common belief, patients were not encouraged to get drunk before amputations, as this does little to relieve pain and significantly increases the patient's chances of bleeding to death due to the effects of alcohol on blood vessels.
Amputations are still a relatively frequent medical proceedure today. Globally, over 3 million amputations are conducted every year. Although the proceedures aren't as painful as they used to be with modern medicine and your chances of dying on the operating table are much lower, major amputations still have a high mortality rate. A study from the 2010s found that 49% of people who underwent lower extremity amputations died within 4 years of the surgery.
