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Article: Merck Manual once recommended tobacco for asthma, champagne for seasickness.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- December 30, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When the 20th century began, infectious disease was the most common cause of death in this country, and life expectancy was 46 to 48 years.
Smallpox was still killing tens of thousands worldwide, and pneumonia, tuberculosis, gangrene and influenza were killing millions more.
The Merck Manual of Medical Information, first published in 1899, recommended tobacco for the treatment of bronchitis and asthma; leeches for laryngitis; and iced champagne, nitroglycerin and strychnine for seasickness.
``We included 100 treatments for bronchitis, and none of them worked,'' says Dr. Robert Berkow, editor in chief of the manual since 1974. ``It's amazing ...