[Albatross2008]

I was thinking just now of different ways society used to think, versus what people in general know now.

What reminded me is that I'm currently down with a virus, and I'm running a slight temperature. It brought to mind how during my childhood, people tended to think a "normal" body temperature was a constant, exact 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. (37 Celsius.) There was even an arrow marking that point on the old glass tube thermometers. The mercury going past the arrow was the *only* acceptable proof that you're actually sick, and not just trying to weasel out of school. Say you're a kid in the 1970's, and you tell your parent, "I don't feel good." Parent touches your forehead and is instantly skeptical. "Well, you're not warm." In goes the thermometer. The mercury is right at the arrow. Anything else you've got going on--stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea, whatever--it doesn't matter. No fever, no sick day.

This worked in the other direction too. You're a kid in the 1970's. You've been down with the flu, but you feel better now, and you want to get out of bed. Parent checks your temperature. It's 99. "Nope. You're still sick." Nowadays more people undestand that it's not the only indicator, and that "normal" is a range, rather than a point. Some people run warmer than others, and everybody fluctuates. A person running 99.5 (37.5) may be fine. Another person running 98.6 may be very ill.

Also along these lines, when our parents made us wait an hour after eating lunch before we could get back in the pool. Not necessary, medical science now knows.

Can you think of any others?

[vishva8kumara]

Check this out:

[vishva8kumara]

People used to believe salt is bad for blood pressure, which is a myth.

[seeker33]

That's true for me, I can be very sick but my temperature rarely gets above 37. As a kid, this frustrated me enormously :-D
Another stupid thing was squeezing lemon into hot tea, effectively destroying all vitamin C.

[Albatross2008]

Originally Posted by seeker33

That's true for me, I can be very sick but my temperature rarely gets above 37. As a kid, this frustrated me enormously :-D
Another stupid thing was squeezing lemon into hot tea, effectively destroying all vitamin C.

Understood. I normally run pretty cool, closer to 97 (36) than to 98.6 (37). 98.6 is higher than usual for me, although it's still a normal temperature and isn't medically a fever. It used to be hard to convince people I wasn't just being a hypochondriac. Nowadays, I don't get accused of that anymore. But this bug has me up as high as 101 (38.3) which is a fever in anybody's book. Unless you're a cat, in which case it's normal.

How about the thinking that eating liver once a week is good for your iron levels? I remember when doctors used to recommend that. Or, at least in our house, being pumped full of megadoses of vitamins? There is such a thing as vitamin toxicity.

[Mountaindewed]

That a women’s job is in the kitchen.

[eskielover]

Eggs raised colesterol now they know it doesn't & say how heakthy it is to eat an egg daily

[eskielover]

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

That a women’s job is in the kitchen.

Lol....I was on the cutting edge of fighting this transition in the 70's....it was a challenge....& a battle at least in my own environment.....didn't bother the other male engineers I was working with....I was just one of the guys.

[Albatross2008]

People used to think being out in the sun and getting a tan was good for you.

[WishfulThinker66]

People used to think there was nothing wrong with cultural-misappropriation.

[Row Jimmy]

If you don't wear a hat, you'll catch a cold.

[Albatross2008]

The "bikes with no helmets, cars with no seat belts" thing is almost a cliché now. But it fits.

Also, there didn't used to be a problem sending an elementary school kid to the store alone, even to buy beer and cigarettes for an adult. That wasn't outlawed until somewhere around 1973, if I remember correctly. I remember being sent to the store by a step-father a few times, until one day the law didn't allow it anymore.

"But it's not for me. It's for my dad."
"I still can't sell it to you."

And I was so afraid he'd be mad at me when I came home without it. I was surprised and relieved when he wasn't.

[Timgt5]

The amount and nature of knowledge changes as research on many subjects continue

A few examples

Back when most cars were carbureted people could use premium gas to boost gas mileage and performance. Now with electronically controlled fuel delivery the octane level as little to impact on either in the vast majority of cars.

BMI used to be the gold standard for determining obesity, but it fails to take in to account people that have large frames and a lot of muscle. According to BMI Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena are "Morbidly Obese"

The so called Food Pyramid has been debunked in recent years and doctors now recommend diets more based on the specific conditions of the individual in question rather than broad-brushing.

In late 70s experts were warning us that the age of the performance car was over. We now have several cars (including a couple of electrics) than can hit 60 from a standstill in 2 and half seconds. There are now a handful that can reach speeds in excess of 260MPH

IBM executives once told Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak that no one would ever have a use for personal desktop computers, they of course went on to found Apple.

People used to believe that colds were caused by cold weather because that is when most occurred. The weather itself does not cause more colds, it is the fact that when its cold out people tend to spend more time together in close quarters indoors, those facilitating the spread of the cold virus.

There are still many people who believe that life is a zero sum game, though that has been disproven repeatedly.

[eskielover]

IBM executives once told Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak that no one would ever have a use for personal desktop computers, they of course went on to found Apple.

Then of course IBM had to follow with their own PC....of course with a totally different operating system & hardware changes so they wouldn't be charged for copyright infringement.

Oh yes the older than dirt belief that men do the yard work & car repair & repairs around the house while the women just do the cooking & cleaning (unrelated to both having their iwn careers) in spite if who really has the talent to do these things.

[DP_2017]

Fun idea for a thread, enjoying the answers so far

[Albatross2008]

I remember when girls weren't encouraged to display their intelligence. They were taught to play dumb and let the boys think they're smarter. There was even a poem, from about my grandmother's day, I think. I'll look it up. It's about a one-room school having a spelling bee, and a girl wins, and it hurts the boy's feelings. So, since she has a crush on him, she feels the need to *apologize* to him for spelling the word that he couldn't spell!

Poem here.

Edit: More like my great-grandmother's day. It's from the 1890's. But society being this way could help explain why my grandmother didn't like for me to appear too smart.

[*Laurie*]

Polio water. When my older sisters were growing up in NYC during the horrifying polio epidemic of the early 1950's they were told to, at all costs, avoid "polio water". My sisters remember having to put their feet in bleach water before getting into a public swimming pool.

After the polio vax was used, it became known that polio was not transmitted by water.

[Albatross2008]

^^Similar to being cautioned that you could get "those diseases" from using public toilets.

I think that rumor was started by people who didn't want to admit they'd been fooling around. Back then it was a MAJOR scandal if you were caught not saving it for marriage.

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by Arbie

^^Similar to being cautioned that you could get "those diseases" from using public toilets.

I think that rumor was started by people who didn't want to admit they'd been fooling around. Back then it was a MAJOR scandal if you were caught not saving it for marriage.

Yep!

Another medical misconception...when the "gay flu" became the horror known as AIDS people were frantically avoiding public bathrooms, nervous about eating in restaurants - and Lord knows, would never share food with someone who had AIDS. The fear came from not knowing what caused the disease. Thankfully, we now know better.

Oh - and about catching a cold if you get too cold - there is some truth to that. The reason I say that is because when we're chilled our immune system has to work harder. So if we happen to be chilled/immune system working harder/exposed to a virus, the constellation can result in a cold.

[SeekerOfLife]

Originally Posted by vishva8kumara

People used to believe salt is bad for blood pressure, which is a myth.

I have read a few times that the processing of salt makes it hard on the body. It is dried at a very high temperature, and that does something to the usability in the body. So, if your salt is just cleaned, dried at low temperature, and packaged it's ok. I need to check into this more.

[downandlonely]

In eighth grade, my science teacher had us plant a garden. And he wouldn't let the girls dig in case something would happen to our uteruses. And this was in the 90s! They used to think if girls exercised too hard they wouldn't be able to bear children or something.

[Albatross2008]

Mothers used to be cautioned not to pick up and hold their babies too much, or go to them every time they cry, or else it would "spoil" the baby. Whatever that even means.

[mugwort2]

Peoplel used to think that foxes, little owls didn't make good pets.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by *Laurie*

Polio water. When my older sisters were growing up in NYC during the horrifying polio epidemic of the early 1950's they were told to, at all costs, avoid "polio water". My sisters remember having to put their feet in bleach water before getting into a public swimming pool.

After the polio vax was used, it became known that polio was not transmitted by water.

I THOUGHT "polio water" was a thing! I havent heard anybody use this expression probably since the 50s, except for myself, but its always on the tip of my tongue when i see standing water, im like, oh, polio water, and people around me are like, what?!

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by unaluna

I THOUGHT "polio water" was a thing! I havent heard anybody use this expression probably since the 50s, except for myself, but its always on the tip of my tongue when i see standing water, im like, oh, polio water, and people around me are like, what?!

I don't think I can ever look at standing water of any kind without hearing my sisters say, "polio water!" and laughing about it. It was definitely a thing way back...not funny at all, until someone figured out that water wasn't how people contracted polio.