Medicine Knew Almost Nothing: The Unsettling Recency of What Doctors Consider 'Basic'
CPR wasn't taught until 1960. The link between smoking and lung cancer wasn't officially confirmed until 1964. Doctors were still debating whether cholesterol caused heart disease well into the 1980s. The medical facts that feel like timeless common sense are, in many cases, younger than your parents. That should unsettle you — at least a little.
Mar 13, 2026