Listen
The 19th century in Ypsilanti, as elsewhere, was on the doorstep of the remarkable medical advances of the twentieth century. People who came down with even a minor illness could be dead in hours. Was that a cough or a death-rattle? The doctor might know or might not, and what was in his bag might help you or the undertaker. In this episode, historian and clerk emeritus Jerome Drummond will discuss the reasons we should definitely be happy to see a doctor in the twenty-first century.
More about our speaker
Jerome Drummond
Jerome Drummond is a clerk emeritus, recently retired from the Michigan Avenue library, and a member of the Ypsilanti Historical Society and the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County. He majored in history in college, earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan – Flint, has taught introductory genealogy classes at the library, and is writing a biography of Charles Rich Pattison.
The Nineteenth Century advance in understanding microbes was probably medicine’s most important achievement.
More images
The Twentieth Century saw great advancements in medicine and surgery through the work of medical schools.
The apothecary shop was the Nineteenth Century forerunner of the modern pharmacy. The results of medication in that time period were spotty at best.
Learn more:
More from Rina Raphael (whose concepts we discuss in this episode)
Rina Raphael, whose concepts are discussed in this episode, appeared on an episode of Unorthodox Podcast (Episode 345 “Moving Mountains” Jan 19, 2023) where she talked about the culture of alternatives to medicine, and her book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care. Listen to the episode here (00:25:25 – 00:45:00).