Medicine Progress Infographic

As most Americans know, healthcare is an issue that’s currently being hotly debated. Regardless of where you may sit on the issue of healthcare politically-speaking, though, there is definitely no arguing that medicine and medical technology are advancing at an impressive rate. Modern doctors are able to do more for the human body now than at any other point in history, as today’s infographic from medexsupply.com shows us.

Medical procedures that seem commonplace and routine to us today could have been potentially terrifying or even fatal as recently as 150 years ago. Between treatments that include things such as leeches, a bone chipper and devices called “scarificators” and “carbolic smoke balls” (I can’t personally decide which one sounds worse), it might have been safer just to wait out your particular ailment back in the day rather than go to your local “Sawbones” (a.k.a doctor).

Treatments today are not only more effective but in many cases far more humane, particularly in the realm of mental health. Electroshock treatments are still used today, but in such a way that will not cause permanent damage or even possibly break vertebrae, unlike electroshock therapy in the past.

After looking at this chart I think we are all going to want to take a minute for silent thanks that we were born in a modern age where going to the doctor isn't more dangerous than the actual incident or illness we have that sent us there.

The graphic covers everything from electroshock therapy to pain relief, and when you start reading about things such as "bone saws" and "carbolic smoke balls," you'll start to wonder how anyone ever made it to the 21st century. Our modern side of the chart has amazingly simple solutions in comparison — little things such as washing your hands and dry medical dressings apparently go a long way.

When you consider the even more modern medical applications we write about here — bionic eyes, skin factories and tricorders, for instance — you really get a sense of how far we've come from the days doctors were called "Sawbones" for a terrifyingly real reason.

For more information on the progress of modern medicine please refer to the infographic below. [Via]