Think back on the injuries and sicknesses you’ve had to date. If none of our modern technology, medical knowledge, and treatments had been available, would you still be alive? For the sake of the poll, assume the available healthcare is roughly that a “Dark Age” serf might obtain.
Personally, I’d be alive but miserable. Childbirth was textbook, without complications and on schedule. I have psoriasis, which apparently used to be confused with leprosy, and without treatment I’d likely be covered in ugly red sores. Add in nearsightedness, and I’m looking at life as a half blind leper.
Nope. I would have died at 19 when my appendix ruptured. I was clinically dead on the O.R. table for two minutes when the doc was cleaning out my insides. Had I survived that without modern meds, the month long 104+ temp I had afterwards would have certainly done me in.
Nope, I would have been dead. As it is, I’m only partially dead. Or undead. What I mean is, I’m part zombie (and thus have nothing to fear in the event of a ZA).
Nope. Born 7 weeks premature in 1981; even with 1981 medicine I barely survived (so I’ve been told). I still have some lingering effects, so I’m certain I would have died within hours of birth.
Also had a nasty lung infection in middle school that required something like 3 months of qid antibiotics. I don’t remember the name of the infection but I can’t imagine it would have been a decent outcome without the drugs.
Voted for Later Problem, because I would have survived childbirth itself, but not much later.
At 18 I contracted bacterial meningitis and pneumococcal pneumonia. Fever of 107. I felt bad. :mad:
I’ve had the flu a couple of times. I understand that was cause for concern a while back. I felt bad. :mad:
Numerous cuts requiring stitches over the years. Glad I didn’t have them in say, 1200 a.d.
Kidney stones. About 18 or so in 30 years. If the blockage and renal failure didn’t kill me, the pain would have driven me to jump off a high cliff, headfirst. They feel bad.:mad:
Bad motorcycle crash. Got runned over. Broken ribs, punctured lung, torn liver. I felt bad.:mad:
Had I been born just 50 years earlier, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead by now!
I would have killed myself if it weren’t for the pill. I’ve self-diagnosed as PMDD, but that doesn’t quite fit. So I don’t know what it is. All I know is, if you told me I’d have to live without the pill I’m on, I’d rather die.
So I’m not sure how to vote in the poll. It wouldn’t have killed me, technically. But I would be dead.
I’ve had kidney stone issues, and had my right kidney removed. Between the stones and the infections, without modern surgery and medicines I’d be at best an invalid.
Didn’t vote because my answer is that the probability of my not surviving childhood would have been higher. I had scarlet fever before I was four. Not sure how dangerous that was.
Then I wouldn’t have had an immunizations, so a big increase there.
When I was ten I had a major concussion, but all they did in the hospital was monitor me.
Most of my other problems are associated with a modern diet, so I’m going to assume I’d get a pass on them.
I’m Rh negative, so I’d be at risk of blue babies. Oddly, though, I had a rho-gam shot after my first one (A+), then didn’t have another RH positive baby (A-, O-).
Although I suppose if there was no birth control, I’d have had more children and odds are one or more of the extras would have been Rh positive.
To clarify, “died during childbirth” refers to your own birth. If you are a woman who experienced a particularly nasty and complicated delivery that would have likely resulted in death without modern medicine, then mark “died from later causes.”