Unproven remedies for cancer and other serious illnesses have been with us for centuries. They have taken many forms, including:
• liquefied grasses to drink
• small wooden objects with magical properties to hold in the hand
• pastes to rub on the skin
• radio waves and magnetic forces to direct at various parts of the body
• potions made from many different natural and unnatural items to take
And many others. None has survived very long. These remedies usually enjoyed a brief popularity, then faded from view. But they were soon replaced by some other questionable cure. Understanding the roots and sources for these questionable remedies will help you understand the role questionable remedies play today.
Parallel Medicine in the Nineteenth Century Unproven cancer treatments have typically mimicked or paralleled developments in scientific medicine. The promotion of unproven methods in the nineteenth century arose in response to the development of modern clinical methods and the emphasis on local pathology . In the early 1800s, medical efforts began to be devoted to finding and treating a specific source or cause of illness. At the same time, advocates of questionable remedies began working to make "every man his own doctor" and to develop a "holistic" self-care alternative to a medical system oriented toward disease.
