On Thu, 8 Jan 2015 16:17:18 +0000 (UTC), Doc O'Leary
wrote:

For your reference, records indicate that
John B. Slocomb wrote:

On Thu, 08 Jan 2015 06:58:20 +0000, Phil W Lee
wrote:

I'm sure that in pre-history, some knowledge of that kind was actively
sought though. The real shame is how little of it we've retained.

I've seen willow bark tea mentioned in different countries so I'd
guess that it was pretty well known. But why bother with collecting
bark, carefully drying it and making tea when Bayer made all the
preparation redundant

Not just redundant, but inherently *scientific*. A lot of the reason why
we haven’t retained past “knowledge” is that it got rigorously tested
and was found to be bunk. Some less educated people still believe some
of the past non-sense, though, and you’ll still see things like rhino
horn being used for something a more worldly person would know to buy
Viagra for.

You are saying that the Chinese have been taking powdered rhino horn
for at least two thousand years and no one has discovered that it
doesn't work?

--
Cheers,

John B.