Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Imagine Which Medical Condition They Would Have Died From Without Modern Medicine

People Imagine Which Medical Condition They Would Have Died From Without Modern Medicine

Modern medicine is a marvel. It's the reason why we've been able to effectively eradicate some serious diseases and improve the quality of health care around the world. When you take these two things into consideration, it's easy to see why vaccine hesitancy can be such a frustrating topic for people right now.

Many people would not be able to survive without the benefits of modern medicine. That's what we learned after Redditor forevernostalgic23 asked the online community,

"If modern medicine didn't exist what medical condition would have died from or been severely impacted by?"

"Bad vision..."

"Bad vision alone would have made me terrible at most things."

jackatman

I had bad vision until my early 20s. I second this.

"I would have had a very short life..."

"I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age seven. I would have had a very short life without modern medicine."

Glass_Brocolli2701

Having known many people who live with diabetes, I am glad that they are still here.

"I probably would have died..."

"I probably would have died at 6 years old from strep throat."

freddygotfingered

​This is a big one: In the past, it commonly killed many people. And guess what, it still does? The CDC estimates approximately 11,000 to 24,000 cases of invasive group A strep disease occur each year in the United States, with 1,200 to 1,900 of those cases resulting in death.

"I was born..."

"I was born with a bilateral abdominal hernia and amniotic fluid in my lungs, no way I would have survived infancy without modern medicine."

wickedblight

"My brother and I..."

"Rabies.

My brother and I were bitten by a rabid farm kitten when we were 6 and 4 years old. Without the foresight of my grandfather who had the cat tested and modern medicine creating the vaccine, my parents would be childless."

imastrongwoman

Frightening! I saw Cujo as a child and that told me all I needed to know about rabies, thank you very much.

"I would have gone deaf..."

"I would have gone deaf from recurrent ear infections as a child and then died at 14 from pneumonia."

Isaac1867

"But since that..."

"I was born two months premature, so I'd likely not survive that in an earlier era. But since that, nothing."

NosDarkly

"Mom and Dad..."

"The way I was born. Mom and Dad had to feed me through a tube down my nose the first year and a half."

unhip1

"If the recurrent..."

"If the recurrent tonsillitis didn't get me, my appendix would have been the end of me as a teen."

Brilliant

"Neither kiddo nor I..."

"Giving birth. Neither kiddo nor I would be alive without emergency surgery."

remembertowelday525

Amazing, right? Be grateful for modern medicine––there are new developments each and every day. And who knows what the future has in store for us? Will there be a cure for cancer? Alzheimer's disease and dementia? The sky's the limit.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments section below!

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

dog and cat snuggling together
Krista Mangulsone on Unsplash

Times Pet Owners 'Severely Underestimated' Their Pets' Intelligence

I've lived with cats—because no one owns a feline—most of my life. Some have been very clever creatures while others were real dingbats.

Family members have owned dogs whose talents also ran the gamut.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scott Bessent
Meet the Press/NBC News

Scott Bessent Blasted Over His Bonkers Suggestion For How To Bring Your Own Inflation Rate Down

Continuing to follow the example of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on Meet the Press Sunday to blame Democratic President Joe Biden for the financial downturn caused by Trump's tariff fiasco, then lied repeatedly about the state of the economy.

Meet the Press host Kristen Welker played a clip of MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance telling a conservative audience at a Breitbart News event that Americans owe the Trump administration "a little bit of patience"—apparently while they figure out what tariffs are and how they work since they're rolling back more of them to lower consumer prices despite claiming Trump's tariffs don't affect consumer prices.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lindsay Lohan attends the men's final during day fifteen of the 2025 US Open Tennis Championships at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Elsa/Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan Is Now Sporting A New Accent—And Fans Aren't Sure What To Make Of It

In a twist freakier than a sequel to Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan has debuted yet another new accent—this time at the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards in Doha, Qatar.

Draped in a maroon, jewel-trimmed gown by The New Arrivals Ilkyaz Ozel and accompanied by her husband, Bader Shammas, and their 2-year-old son, Luai, the actress looked serene, elegant, and completely unbothered by the collective whiplash she was about to inflict on the internet.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jameela Jamil
Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

Jameela Jamil Speaks Out Against The Rise Of The 'Aesthetic Of Emaciation' Among Women In Hollywood

Content Warning: eating disorders, thinness as an aesthetic, emaciation in Hollywood

There's no denying that we've been gifted with some incredible music, television shows, and films this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Screenshot of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in "Rush Hour 2"
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images; New Line Cinema

Trump Is Now Using His Presidential Sway To Pressure Studio Into Making 'Rush Hour 4'—And, Huh?

President Trump has reportedly pressured Paramount head Larry Ellison to make another sequel to Rush Hour, his favorite buddy-cop movie, as the company looks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

The first Rush Hour film, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, was released in 1998, received positive reviews, and made $245 million worldwide. Chan and Tucker returned for two sequels released in 2001 and 2007 respectively.

Keep ReadingShow less