By W. J. McCormick, MD
Summary: A Canadian medical doctor reviews the downward trend of infectious diseases from the late 1800s through 1945 to determine whether advances in medicine were responsible, as commonly believed, for the great drop-offs in illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid, diphtheria, whooping cough, and scarlet fever. His conclusion? No. The declines of all the illnesses started before the introduction of widespread medical measures such as drug therapy or immunization and continued at about the same pace after these methods came into play. Instead, he proposes, the declines coincide with the introduction and widespread availability of foods rich in vitamin C, the "anti-infection" vitamin. Thus, modern transportation and refrigeration—making foods such as oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, etc., readily accessible for the first time—were the reason for better public health, Dr. McCormick argues, not medical care and pharmaceuticals. From the journal The Medical Record. Reprint 5A, 1947.
View PDF: The Changing Incidence & Mortality of Infectious Disease in Relation to Trends in Nutrition
Subscribe to RSS Feed
