Cherokee Cure - An Unfailing cure for Gonorrhea -cures in 1 to 3 days and all the diseases of the Urinary Organs Medicine was still by guess and by God. No regulation of prescriptions or any drug combination existed. There was little science to even base a cure on. Louis Pasteur in France had not yet published any ideas that bacteria could cause disease, and when published in the 1860s, it was not universally known or accepted until almost 1900. A few modern medical procedures were known—vaccination against smallpox, eating fruits and vegetables to prevent scurvy. Beginning in 1850, chloroform as an anesthetic came into wide use. Imbalance in “humors” or “biles” was thought to be the agent of illness.   “Bleeding,” whether by cutting a vein or applying leeches, was often thought to be a cure. Yellow fever and malaria were believed to be caused by “foul miasmas” arising in the night air, particularly in low lying areas. One doctor even developed a completely logical ...

     Coal driven steam engines powered ships across the Atlantic now in one to two weeks.  Under sail, it generally took about six weeks to sail from New York to England or Europe. Steam ships still carried a full complement of masts and sails both to provide movement if the engine failed or to conserve use of coal. Running a paddle wheel on one side of the ship faster than the other side allowed precise steering.      Newspapers printed lists, not only of which ships arrived and which departed, but also which ships had been “spoken,” that is, sighted at a particular time.      Despite progress, hazards remained the same.        Storms and hurricanes were unpredictable. Icebergs lurked in the far northern waters.          Ship travel increased dramatically and so did the loss of life.      Demand for better safety measures increased.  January 1, 1857 Baltimore n...