A few years ago, a little humor piece was brought into our office by a someone who thought it was something we would appreciate. We thought it was funny too. It was posted on the wall and there it stayed for a couple of years. Meanwhile, this humorous “The History of Medicine” made the rounds via Internet and other media and eventually disappeared. Below are several versions. The version we remember is #2 minus the “I have an earache.” The last version is Dr. Jim Duke’s version.

History of Medicine:

1000 AD: — “Here, eat this herb.”
1700: — “That herb is an old wives’ tale; take this elixir.”
1900: — “That elixir is quackery; take this pill.”
1960: — “That pill doesn’t do any good; take this antibiotic.”
2000: — “That antibiotic isn’t safe; take this herb.”

A Short History of Medicine

I have an earache:

2000 B.C. — Here, eat this herb.
1000 A.D. — That herb 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 is artificial. Here, eat this herb.:

Medical History

“I Have an Earache”

2000 B.C — Eat this herb.
A.D. 1000 — That herb is from the devil. Please chant.
A.D. 1750 — Chanting is from the devil. Drink this potion.
A.D. 1930 — That potion is snake oil. Here, take this pill.
A.D. 1980 — That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
A.D. 2000 — That antibiotic has chemicals in it. Here, eat this herb.

History of Medicine

1000 A.D. — “Here, eat this herb”.
1500 A.D. — “Herb not good for you, drink this brew”.
1900 A.D. — “Brew not good for you, take this pill”.
2000 A.D. — “Pill not good for you, eat this herb”.

Dr. Jim Duke’s Version:

Telescoping History of Medicine 2,000,000 B.C.

Sign Language; — eat this root
2000 B.C. — “Here, eat this root “
600 A.D. — Eat that Nigella.
1000 A.D. — That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. — That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1920 A.D. — That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1945 A.D. — That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antiseptic penicillin.
1955 A.D. — Oops….germ mutated. Here, take this tetracycline.
1960-2000 – 39 more “oops. more germs mutated”…. Here, take this more powerful antibiotic, if you can afford it. 20% of North Americans cannot, 80% of the world cannot.
2001 A.D. — The bugs have won! Cipro failed and besides we can’t afford it. Here, eat this garlic.