“Back in the old days, I had to inject myself with a sharp stick…”
I read an interesting article in The Providence Journal about the history of diabetes. Well, it was interesting to me, anyway, in that “it’s time to go home but there’s no food in the fridge and I’m too lazy to go to the store so hey, let’s read about the Beedies before I go” sort of way. You’d be surprised at how many of my posts are born that way.
Ancient Egyptians around 1550 BC mentioned a rare disease characterized by frequent urination and weight loss. Famed Greek physician Aretaus (30-90 AD) described a disorder causing constant thirst, excessive pee time and weight loss, which he described as a “melting of the flesh”. He actually gave it the name diabetes, from the Greek meaning “a flowing through” because, well, they peed a lot.
The article goes on to follow the medical science that developed through the centuries, and it’s pretty interesting. One part jumped out at me, though.
Some anonymous practitioner, more curious — or perhaps more bold — than his colleagues, took to tasting the urine specimens of his patients. And sooner or later he encountered a urine that had a very sweet taste (representing the excess sugar flowing into the urine of the diabetic). Thus the disease came to be known as diabetes mellitus, from the Latin word meaning honey.
See, that’s just wrong, people.
(via The Providence Journal.)
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POSTED IN: Research
2 opinions for “Back in the old days, I had to inject myself with a sharp stick…”
Bald Man
Jul 31, 2006 at 9:35 pm
All in the name of science! Now, is anyone willing to lick my scalp?
alextree
Aug 11, 2006 at 3:03 pm
This is how “Where There is No Doctor” says to test for diabetes in a village with very limited health care:
“One way to test the urine is to taste it. If it tastes sweet to you, have 2 other persons taste it. Have them also taste the urine of 3 other people. If everyone agrees that the same person’s
urine is sweeter, she is probably diabetic.”
Reason one hundred forty-seven why the world needs better health care: so that we can put an end to the need for pee-tasting.
source here: http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php#wtnd
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