A collection of valuable quotes on humor, medicine and spirituality
2000 B.C. – Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. – That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. – That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. – That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 A.D. – That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D. – That antibiotic doesn’t work anymore.Here, eat this
root.
–
One of the greatest tragedies in science is the slaying of a great theory by an ugly fact
(I find this is very often true of the clever mechanisms discovered by the pharmaceutical industry, only to be studied and be found that they don’t, in fact,work. Prof Jameson’s comment)
– Unknown
But know also, man has an inborn craving for medicine. Generations of heroic dosing have given his tissues such a thirst for drugs. As I once before remarked, the desire to take medicine is one feature which distinguishes man, the animal, from his fellow creatures. It is really one of the most serious difficulties with which we have to contend. Even in minor ailments, which would yield to dieting or to simple home remedies, the doctor’s visit is thought to be complete without the prescription.
(Editor’s note: Although Osler lived a hundred years ago , it sounds like he is writing about today.Maybe we have not advanced as much as we thought)
