Fact check: It’s crazy that some people could live until 100 years old with 19th’s century level of medicine They probably stayed AWAY from 19tb century medicine. Not claiming I was there and saw first hand, but apparently your chance of surviving a battlefield injury during the civil war was better if you didn’t get treated

1. Summary of the results

1. Summary of the results:

Civil War-era medicine was more sophisticated than commonly believed, with 95% of amputations using anesthesia and hospital survival rates between 8-92%. While some people did live to advanced ages in the 19th century, this was influenced by multiple factors including genetics, social status, living conditions, and nutrition - not simply by avoiding medical treatment.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints:

• The Civil War period actually drove significant medical innovations, including systematic medical evacuation, triage techniques, and specialized hospital designs
• Social class played a crucial role in survival - European nobility had different mortality patterns than common people, with lower death rates for children aged 5-14 but higher infant mortality before 1750
• Medical technology was not the primary driver of increased longevity during this period - improved living standards and changes in child-rearing practices had greater impact
• Genetics plays a dominant role (70%) in extreme longevity cases, regardless of the time period

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement:

The statement promotes a misleading narrative that avoiding medical treatment improved survival chances. This oversimplification ignores:

• The documented 8-92% survival rates in Civil War hospitals
• The fact that two-thirds of Civil War deaths were from disease, not battlefield injuries
• The rapid evolution of medical practices during this period, including the widespread use of anesthesia
• The complex interplay of social, economic, and behavioral factors that influenced survival rates

The original statement appears to promote an anti-medical establishment viewpoint that could benefit alternative medicine practitioners and those selling "natural" remedies, while disregarding the documented benefits of even primitive medical care.