1910s

World War I rewrote a generation, and the medical and scientific knowledge of the period reflects the rupture. Cocaine was sold over the counter for toothache. Eugenic immigration laws were drafted on bad data. The flu pandemic of 1918 killed 50 million people in part because the role of viruses, distinct from bacteria, was not yet established. Most homes had no electricity. Most science had no peer review. We knew less than we thought, but we were absolutely certain.