History of Medicine was the prescription at the March Medina County Historical Society meeting

MEDINA, Ohio – Members of the Medina County History Society were prescribed a little medicinal history at their March meeting on Monday, March 11th.

Medical speaker Tom Strong gave an overview of the evolution of drugs over time and how they have changed the way doctors treat patients.

The first drugs were made from herbs and plants and were provided by healers, such as Native American shamans or itinerant healers. The face of the drugs changed in 1898, when aspirin was developed and became widely available for pain relief.

From 1900 to 1950, the development of new drugs progressed slowly, with a few exceptions: synthetic insulin in 1922, which prolonged the lives of millions of diabetics, and the discovery of antibiotics such as penicillin in the 1940s , which allowed the success of the treatment. common bacterial infections, including tuberculosis and pneumonia.

The 1950s brought drugs to lower blood pressure, as well as anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium, which brought huge profits to pharmaceutical companies. In the 1970s, new pain medications, such as Tylenol, became popular and profitable. Statins for lowering cholesterol exploded in the 1980s; Lipitor alone has reported $ 100 billion to its manufacturer since its first publication.

And pharmaceuticals are a big business in the 21st century.

According to Strong, in 1997, the United States became "the only country in the world to allow advertising for drugs on television." He went on to say that "$ 238 billion was spent in the United States for prescriptions."

After showing press clippings about the opioid crisis and doctors who took money from "Big Pharma" to push drugs to their patients, Strong said the original "doctor" title meant " teacher". are too fast to prescribe medication for health problems, rather than telling patients how to change their lifestyle to improve their health.

He concluded his presentation with the old adage that "prevention is better than cure".

The president of the historic society, Brian Feron, closed the meeting by announcing upcoming events at the John Smart House Museum, 206 Elmwood Street:

• On April 13, girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 10 are invited to a tea afternoon and a mornings clbad introducing the natural techniques of egg coloring with the giants of Seville and a story hour with Beatrix Potter. The donation is $ 25 per person. To book, call Katie at 330-241-9692.

• Ladies' Day in May will feature an afternoon of champagne bubbles and delicious desserts. A presentation will be given on how "Early Medina Entertained". The guests will leave with a box of desserts to share. The event will take place at 14 hours. May 11th. The donation is $ 40 for members and $ 45 for non-members. For reservations, send a check payable to MCHS at 206 N. Elmwood St., Medina, OH 44256. Any questions? Call 330-722-1341 or send an e-mail to [email protected].