Most of us have benefited greatly from “modern medicine,” and from the standpoint of those who lived in previous times, even 100 years ago, much that is common now would have seemed quite marvelous to them.
The Marvel of Knee Surgery
This is the first blog post I have finished writing since my
July 20 knee replacement surgery. (My 7/25 post was written entirely before
then.)
While I still have some discomfort, I have confidence that for
years to come I will have far less knee pain than I had for months (and even
years) before surgery. But what did people do before 1968?
It was in ’68 (when I was 30) that the first-ever total knee
replacement surgery was completed, although the development of knee arthroplasty
(joint replacement surgery) began way back in the early 1860s. But it was not even
very satisfactory until several years after 1968
What about before then? Perhaps most people died before ever
needing knee surgery—or they just had to put up with the pain.
June (my wife) had knee replacement surgery twelve years ago,
and after a few weeks of recovery has had full use of that knee with little
discomfort ever since. I am expecting the same—and I wish I had had this
surgery last year.
I chose a clinic where the patient goes home the day of
surgery “no matter what.” We left to go to the Total Joint Center at 5:15 a.m.
and were home about eight hours later. Although I am sorry for the extra burden
it put upon June, by midnight I was able to take care of my own needs.
How grateful I am that I now live in 2022 rather than in
1922—or even in 1972—and that I had easy access to a competent surgeon,
proficient nurses, and a modern medical facility.
I am also grateful that I have insurance (a Medicare Advantage
plan) that covered most of the expenses of the operation and the prescribed
pain medicine.
The Marvel of C-section Births
June and I have been thrilled this year with the birth of
our first two great-grandchildren, one in February and the second earlier this month.
Both of our precious great-grandchildren were born by cesarean
delivery, not because of some emergency after labor began but because of conditions
that led the doctors to conclude that C-section would be safer than natural
birth.
Relatively safe cesarean deliveries date back to the 1920s,
but such births became much more common after the development of penicillin in
the 1940s—and then still more common after ultrasound (sonograms) became widely
used in the 1970s.
The lives of many women and babies are now regularly being saved
because of the availability of safe C-section deliveries.
So, again, I am most grateful for modern medical procedures,
grateful for the benefit I have received this month and for the benefits that my
granddaughters each received this year in the births of their babies.
What about Those for Whom Modern Medicine is not
Available?
While I, as well as my two granddaughters and their
husbands, were able to greatly benefit from the marvels of modern medical
procedures this year, millions of USAmericans are not able to benefit as fully
because of the lack of (adequate) insurance.
According to this
Jan. 2022 website, approximately 30 million people in the United States are
uninsured and risk financial ruin if they become ill or injured. Worse, there
are approximately 9 million uninsured children in the country. That’s about one
out of every 10 children in the United States.
In the poorer countries of the world, not only is there no
insurance for masses of people, there are also far too few trained doctors and adequate
medical facilities.
It is not surprising that the three countries with the
highest infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) are also among the
top seven poorest countries in the world (as measured by their gross national
income per capita).
Much more needs to be done domestically and internationally
for all to be able to enjoy the marvels of modern medical procedures. Can’t we
actively promote that?
