Cautionary Dialog: Simply earlier than Christmas 1799, President George Washington was driving round his nation property, Mount Vernon, when it started to snow. When he arrived residence, visitors had been ready for him. Identified for his punctuality, he hurried to entertain them – nonetheless clad in his damp garments.
The subsequent morning, Washington had a sore throat and a chesty cough. The household took a fateful step: they summoned a physician…
Tim Harford is joined by comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds, hosts of the massively well-liked historical past podcast The Dollop. They talk about the parade of medical doctors that tended to the ailing Washington, and the varied treatments they prescribed – from lamb’s blood to a collar of beetles. Tim, Dave and Gareth additionally take a look at what occurred when automobiles first hit the streets within the early twentieth century: why did so many automobiles “flip turtle”? Who had been the primary jaywalkers? And which British inventor rode round in a large white stiletto?
