I have heard it suggested any number of times, and thought it a neat solution to early public health issues. O, tempora! You crush all my fondest unfounded beliefs…
.[quote=“Glitch, post:4, topic:24338”]
But anyone with half a thought to spare would also realize that germ theory didn’t exist back then and no one alive at the time would have associated not-obviously-unclean water with illness, nor thought to avoid drinking water to avoid pathogens.
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Just because germ theory did not exist back then, does not mean that people cannot make (quite possibly incorrect) associations between causes and effects.
Genetic theory also did not exist back then, but the breeding of cattle and other animals was a well-developed practice and anyone with half a thought to spare would also realize that plenty of people alive at the time associated characteristics of the parents with characteristics of the children . Similarly, if drinking water was observed to be more deleterious than drinking alcohol, I’m sure some half-sozzled sage would have sussed it out.
