The Velveteen Rabbit Dramaturgy

1920s Health and Medicine

 

Timeline of Advancements

 

• 1920: Discovery of Vitamin E; First treatment of Epilepsy; Cure for Anemia

• 1921: Invention of Band-Aid; Discovery of lysozyme, an antibacterial substance found in mucus, tears, and saliva. 

• 1922: Insulin first used to treat Diabetes

• 1923: Development of vaccine for Diphtheria; First heart valve surgery performed

• 1925: Development of a three-flanged nail to secure bone in hip fractures; Increasing brain surgery survival rates

• 1926: Development of vaccine for Whooping Cough

• 1927: Development of vaccines for Tuberculosis and Tetanus; Invention of the Iron Lung; Development of blood test to detect Syphilis

• 1928: Discovery of Penicillin

• 1929: First Polio patient saved

 

Brushing Teeth

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            During the 1910s and 20s, a lot of employers participated in various industrial dental hygiene programs. Dentists were hired by different factories, shops, and other employers to come in and examine and/or clean workers’ teeth. The employers wished these programs would increase the health of their employees so they wouldn’t develop infections and miss work. 

Specifically in the United States, the Second World War really pushed dental hygiene, as soldiers, doctors, and everyone involved in the war were required to brush their teeth each day. 

            A popular, main brand for teeth cleaning was Colgate, which is still a main popular brand today. A lot of their products were marketed as either Tooth Powder, Dental Powder, Tooth Cream, and Dental Cream. There’s also a variety of unusual dental hygiene products, such as “The no bristle toothbrush, SPONGO”, which looked like a typical toothbrush except there was a small sponge where the bristles normally were. A lot of toothpastes, creams, and powders that contained chlorophyll, penicillin, ammonia were produced, claiming to stop decay and bad breath. 

            The Ritter Dental Company developed and introduced the Model A Dental X-Ray in 1920. The machine had a high voltage wire that ran outside the arm of the machine to the X-Ray head, which required both patients and physicians to stay at least one foot away from the machine. 

 

1920s World Economy

 

United States of America

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            The Transportation Act of 1920 restored private management to the nation’s railways, which were previously controlled by the government during the war. This act brings prosperity back to the railroad businesses. Businesses received lots of encouragement, including loans for construction, mail-carrying contracts, and other benefits. All this in turn made the railroad business bring in lots of money.

            At the end of 1920, with the end of wartime demand, agriculture of stable crops such as corn and wheat declined greatly. This unfortunately created a lull in funds for the farmers. There were a lot of factors that played a part in the decline, but the main factor is loss of foreign market due to the war. The United States was the only country that came out of the First World War with no debt, meaning the other countries had no money to buy any U.S. crops with. 

            The 1920s brought Americans an overall great life. The typical family was able to buy their first automobile, refrigerator, and vacuum cleaner. They were able to listen to the radio and go to see movies regularly. The following statistics are thanks to Steven Mintz of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The percentage of homes with radios in 1925 was 19 percent. In 1929, the sales of radios was $842.6 million. In 1929, the majority family income was $1,000 to $5,000 a year being 21 percent of families, with the minority being over $10,000 a year at 2.3 percent of families. 

            The demand of natural resources was greatly increased by the use of electricity. In this decade, 63 percent of the United States had access to electricity, which then created a need for large amounts of coal, gas, and oil to power electrical generating plants. 

            A large network of roads developed throughout the decade thanks to the boom of the car industry. The average car bought was Ford’s Model T, which cost around $300. 

 

Europe

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            The First World War left all of Europe devastated with an extremely low economy, land and property damage, and millions of deaths. The countries had spent billions on the war and relied on loans, while also selling war bonds to their citizens. The European countries were left with unstable environments and a heavy amount of debt. Europe also took out loans with the United States and heavily relied on them. In 1921, the Inter-Allied Reparations Committee concluded that Germany should pay 269 billion marks, approximately 100,000 tonnes of pure gold, to repay majority of the debt. As the country had a hard time keeping up with the payments, inflation in Germany skyrocketed. The inflation was stated as “The most colossal thing of its kind in history” by Lionel Robbins (Franco). The last payment was made in October of 2010. 

            It was not until the middle of the decade that the European countries moved past the pre-war economy. The automotive and radio industries boomed. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate was still high and the gap between rich and poor greatly increased.

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Sources

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“1920’s Medicine.” Www.1920-30.com, www.1920-30.com/medicine/#:~:text=Major%20Medical%20Breakthroughs%20included%20Insulin.

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Cigognini, Brendan. “An Exciting Addition to the Henry Forman Atkinson Collection.” Melbourne Dental School, 30 Nov. 2022, dental.unimelb.edu.au/engage/alumni/dent-al-2022/newsevents/an-exciting-addition-to-the-henry-forman-atkinson-collection#:~:text=The%20Ritter%20Model%20A%20was. Accessed 27 June 2024.

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“Contributions to Medicine | Mayo Clinic History & Heritage.” Mayo Clinic Heritage & History, history.mayoclinic.org/toolkit/contributions-to-medicine/.

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“Digital History.” Www.digitalhistory.uh.edu, 2021, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3432#:~:text=During%20the%201920s%2C%20there%20was.

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Harvard Medical School. “Timeline of Discovery | Harvard Medical School.” Harvard.edu, 2009, hms.harvard.edu/about-hms/history-hms/timeline-discovery.

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“Medical Inventions during the 1920’S Timeline.” Timetoast Timelines, www.timetoast.com/timelines/medical-inventions-during-the-1920s.

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Museum, Cleveland. “A Century of Science | Cleveland Museum of Natural History.” Cmnh.org, 2023, www.cmnh.org/in-the-news/science-blog/february-2020/a-century-of-science.

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“Oral Care.” Smithsonian Institution, www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/oral-care.

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