Opinion | The field’s failure to integrate medical services in the mid-20th century set the stage for its current troubles.

The field’s failure to integrate medical services in the mid-20th century set the stage for its current troubles.

  • SewBlue@sfba.social
    2·
    1 day ago

    @Bee I really wish we would stop linking the discovery of germ theory to sanitary sewers.

    Most major cities started installing sewers before germ theory. Remember - they put the handle back on the water pump during the crisis because they did not believe Dr Snow’s science. Most accounts leave out certain details.

    Sewers were installed because cities stank without them and people believed diseases were related to smell. Miasma.

    London’s big stink in the 1850’s kicked off sewer construction. Not cholera.

    The superstition of missma happened to align with science to allow progress. It’s a bit revisionist to assume that level of money was spent because science showed it could help.

    That golden era produced eugenics.