9781422280317

Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, andOther Respiratory Disorders

Early Treatments for Respiratory Disease

In the past, people knew far less about the causes and treatments of disease than we do now. Many early treatments for respiratory disease had no basis in science. Nevertheless, people sometimes stumbled across a remedy that relieved symptoms. Coughs and colds were fought with teas made from herbs, wild cherry, or honey. They also were treated with aromatic substances, like menthol and eucalyptus. A few of these folk remedies were effective because they contained naturally

occurring antihistamines, which are substances that reduce inflammation. Some helped in breaking down phlegm . Menthol was used to cool the pain of a sore throat. In the 1700s, scientists came to understand that the respiratory system took in oxygen and expelled carbon dioxide. The discovery led the English physician Thomas Beddoes to test oxygen as a treatment for diseases like tuberculosis and asthma. Another turning point in treating diseases came in the 1800s, when scientists came to understand how germs worked. They realized that some microorganisms could be used to kill other microorganisms, a discovery that paved the way for developing vaccines to fight infections.

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