Childbirth, breast cancer, major car accident with severe injuries and broken bones.
I still bury a cat at midnight on full-moon nights myself. Probably why I’m still here. 
The Salk vaccine came out when I was about 5 or so. My sister had polio and it nearly killed her.
Scarlet Fever - and what a godawful way to go that would have been. Each swallow was worse than razorblades. I don’t think I was able to sleep for over a week.
Kidney stone.
It was well-lodged in a ureter. They had to go in and retieve it.
If that kind of treatment wasn’t possible, I gare-on-tee I would kill myself before I’d suffer that kind of pain interminably.
I wouldn’t even have been born; my grandmother was a Penicillin test subject when her case of scarlet fever progressed to rheumatic fever. Pre-penicillin she would have died at age 18, waay before meeting my grandfather.
Otherwise the only thing that might have done me in wouldve been my eyesight; without glasses I was legally blind in 4th grade. No major illnesses or injuries though.
I’d probably have lived, but I’d be severely crippled and nearly blind.
My stomach perferated in 05. Even with modern medicine they tell me it was close.
I did this topic some years ago. if you wish to read some more…
My wisdom teeth would have done me in, just like the ancient Egyptians.
I am nearsighted, but not so much so that it would have ruined my life.
I seem to recall that I had measles and Scarlet Fever at the same time, so that would have probably killed me at age 8 or 9. A horrific kidney infection at 19, or pneumonia at 23. Hooray for antibiotics! I don’t know if you die from gall stones, but I thought I was dying before I was diagnosed.
Prior to the mid-1930’s, I would have died of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Cancel that. I wouldn’t have made it to kindergarten.
Today, I asked my mom about a kids book starring “Dr Napkin” and nurses making the mean lions go back to Africa because gazelles taste better than children. I remember parts of the story VERY clearly. Not.
Even with modern medicine, I almost died from a kidney infection at age three. Apparently, I couldn’t pronounce Dr Atkins, but the nurses thought I was cute, and all started calling him Doctor Napkin during my hospital stay. :rolleyes: Who knows where I got the lion bit.
Why has nobody thought to mention this to me before now? I’ve been searching for that damn nonexistant Dr Napkin & the lion storybook for 25 damn years!
That’s probably true for most of us. Everyone’s ancestors would similarly have benefitted from the state of modern medicine in their day, and a lot of them would have died without it, too. There would be fewer of us here now. It doesn’t have to be anything as dramatic as the latest medical advances, just something simple like basic hygiene. Indoor plumbing has probably saved more lives cumulatively than all medical procedures put together, and I had an environmental-health prof who told us that most of the world’s illness could be illiminated simply by cleaning up the water suplies.
Death and I are on a first name basis (I call him “Death”, he calls me “Finch”).
The first time I met him was when I was 4. I drank hydrochloric acid; that probably would/should have killed me; it very nearly did despite modern medicine, as one might imagine. Some re-arranegment of my internal plumbing to create a new esophagus, and I was good as moderately-used.
The next time Death came a-callin’ was when I was in junior high (~14 or 15 years old). Bad case of pneumonia, accompanied by bronchitis. Took me out of commision for a few months; had to be home-schooled during recovery. Wouldn’t have made it through that without modern medicine.
Around 1993, I was hospitalized for GI bleeding. Lost about 70% of my blood by the time I got into the ER. I could not stand up without passing out, and even went temporarily blind because my retinas weren’t getting enough blood. No modern medicine, no Finch. Hi, Death! Unfortunately, they never found the actual source of bleeding, so…
In 2004, I had a relapse of the GI bleed. This time, I “only” lost about 50-60%. Hey, Death! How’s the wife and little deathlings? They checked some more, but were still unable to find the source. So, again…
This past January, bleeding again. Only lost about 40% this time, but that’s because I knew what to look for by now and was thus able to get checked out and was subsequently admitted to the hospital before things got much worse. No modern medicine, I’d have likely have been a gonner…again. This time, however, it was discovered that the bleeding was connected with the whole acid-drinking incident and the repairs done at that time. So, 4 of the “almost dieds” were directly tied to the same incident.
See ya next time, Death!
Like many other members who have posted in this thread, I probably would have died during birth. The umbilical chord was wrapped around my neck so I had to be delivered by Caesarean section.
I also would likely be deaf by now. I’ve gotten a nasty ear infection at least once, often twice a year, always cured with antibiotics. I believe this was the way Beethoven went deaf.
Nothing life threatening, but I would probably have very big problems with my teeth. I look exactly like my grandfather, with the same very, very large teeth. I was blessed to have access to orthodontics, which have arranged them into a nice smile, but my grandfather’s were so messed up and such an impediment he had to have them removed and wore dentures from his early adolescent years.
Well, I never would have been conceived, considering that dr_mom_mcl came to Canada for medical school. Leaving that aside, though, I’d have been okay – a normal pregnancy and birth and no serious injuries or maladies - although I’d probably be in the poorhouse from untreated eye-fucked-upness, and the ankle I broke last year might have left me lame.
Your genes are really telling you they don’t want to be passed on, aren’t they? 
Without antibiotics I would have gone to bronchitis and blood poisoning many times
- fortunately my twice yearly bout of bronchitis cleared up when I was about 13
Having said that I would probably not be here if my grandfather did not get exemption from WWI for a TB scarred lung.
Someone mentioned diseases like mumps, measles and chickenpox. In my day they were trivial and parents would organize ‘parties’ to ensure that we caught them.
Assuming that what I was taught in Science class was correct.
The blood group classifications are based on which proteins do we have on the wall of our blood cells. Rh+ have the protein called “Rhesus factor”, Rh- don’t. Since you only need to have one copy of the gene that produces the Rhesus factor in order to produce it, the gene is dominant, i.e., a person having a Rh- gene and a Rh+ gene will be Rh+.
Case 1.
Mom: Rh-. Both her genes are Rh-.
Dad: Rh-. Both his genes are Rh-.
In that case, all the kids would be Rh-. No problem.
Case 2.
Mom: Rh-. Both genes Rh-.
Dad: Rh+. One gene +, one -.
Half the kids would be + (and trigger antibodies in the mother), half would be -. This could be the case for thirdwarning’s family.
Case 3.
Mom: Rh-. Both genes Rh-.
Dad: Rh+. Both genes Rh+.
All the kids would be Rh+. The first one wouldn’t have any problems (the antibodies haven’t built up); following children would have problems if this went undetected and/or untreated.
And if the mom is Rh+, since antibodies are triggered by “the presence of an alien protein” and not by “the absence of a protein which my usual cells have”, it doesn’t matter what Rh the father is.
Does that make sense?