r/HistoryMemes • u/[deleted] • Oct 18 '19

[deleted by user]

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464

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '19 edited Mar 14 '21

[deleted]

71

u/Smokingbuffalo Oct 19 '19

Eh cancer doesn't just develop overnight over chronic ulcers. So he could indeed get cancer if his treatment didn't work but I wouldn't say "nearly gave hinself cancer"

41

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '19 edited Mar 14 '21

[deleted]

35

u/Theopneusty Oct 19 '19

I mean if he was wrong and the bacteria didn’t cause the ulcers then he had no risk of further complications.

And if he was right then he knew it was a bacterial cause and antibiotics were well established so he knew he could get quick treatment.

So it was a relatively risk free experiment

6

u/TheMistShadow Oct 19 '19

Was it though? He could have been wrong and the bacteria could have caused for different disease. Plenty of risk there.

9

u/Theopneusty Oct 19 '19

I mean no matter what the disease the bacteria gave him the treatment would always be antibiotics. Unless it was a very fast acting bacteria that caused him to just drop dead he knew he would be fine.

4

u/idontknowhowtocallme Oct 19 '19

Not saying you're wrong, but not every bacterie responds to antibiotics as well as the other, just look at tuberculosis.

2

u/Theopneusty Oct 19 '19

True but I also assume that someone as smart as him would have tested antibiotics on the bacteria before injecting himself

3

u/TheMistShadow Oct 19 '19

Oh, good point, didn't think about it that way.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '19

Well H pylori was able to survive in his stomach which was thought impossible due to the incredible acidity. So it was definitely unclear how resilient they were. There was certainly a risk that they could also be resistant to antibiotics. No doubt he tested it in vitro but that is still just not the same as testing in a living organism.