# Medycyna, która pozwoliła nam zapomnieć | Róża Hajkuś | TEDxKoszalin

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Re9oJDR3E
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/G2Re9oJDR3E
Generated: 2026-01-14T16:09:33.458+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Róża Hajkuś argues that modern medicine's success in eradicating devastating diseases like smallpox and drastically reducing deaths from tuberculosis and scarlet fever should not lead to complacency, as exemplified by historical data showing high childhood mortality rates from these diseases 100 years ago, and she urges continued respect for medical history and scientific progress.

**Key Points:**
- 100 years ago, 30-50% of children died before their first birthday from infectious diseases like tuberculosis, scarlet fever, measles, and diphtheria.
- Smallpox, a disease that killed 30-50% of infected children, was eradicated globally by 1980 thanks to vaccination efforts.
- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu introduced variolation (inoculation) from Turkey to Europe in 1717, a precursor to modern vaccination.
- The discovery of Penicillin in 1928, though later than variolation, drastically changed the future by providing effective treatment for bacterial infections.
- In 1963 Poland, an unvaccinated person was banned from entering Wrocław due to a smallpox outbreak, illustrating past public health measures.
- The speaker, a pediatrician, notes that while many historical diseases are now rare due to vaccination, we must not take modern medical success for granted, emphasizing the need to continue vaccination programs.
- The speaker concludes by quoting George Santayana: "He who does not remember history is condemned to repeat it."

![Screenshot at 00:25: The slide contrasts a child suffering from smallpox in 1901 with another child who was not infected, illustrating the severe consequences of the disease before widespread medical intervention.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G2Re9oJDR3E/00-00-25.jpg)

**Context:** The presentation by Róża Hajkuś at TEDxKoszalin focuses on the dramatic impact of medical advancements, particularly vaccination and antibiotics, on public health over the last century. She contrasts the high mortality rates from infectious diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis in the past with the current situation, using historical anecdotes and images to stress the importance of remembering and appreciating these medical milestones to avoid complacency regarding current public health strategies.

## Detailed Analysis

Róża Hajkuś delivers a talk emphasizing the importance of remembering medical history to appreciate current public health achievements, particularly concerning infectious diseases. She starts by recounting how 100 years ago, diseases like tuberculosis, scarlet fever, measles, and diphtheria were leading causes of death, with 30 to 50% of children dying before their first birthday. She highlights that smallpox, which once killed 30-50% of those infected, was eradicated globally by 1980, attributing this success to vaccination, which began conceptually with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu introducing variolation from Turkey in 1717. The discovery of Penicillin in 1928, which she notes changed the future, is also mentioned as a major turning point against bacterial infections. Hajkuś illustrates past fears by referencing a 1963 sign banning unvaccinated individuals from entering Wrocław during a smallpox outbreak. She contrasts these grim historical realities with the present, where vaccination has made many of these diseases rare, noting that currently, only 3 to 5 out of a thousand children die in their first year, compared to 300-500 previously. She shares a personal story about her grandmother losing three children to infectious diseases, underscoring the emotional weight of these past threats. She concludes by urging the audience to continue supporting vaccination and to remember history, quoting George Santayana: "He who does not remember history is condemned to repeat it."

### Historical Mortality

- 100 years ago, 30-50% of children died before age one from infectious diseases like TB, scarlet fever, measles, and diphtheria
- 200 years ago, 300-500 per thousand children died
- Currently, 3-5 per thousand children die.

### Smallpox Eradication

- Smallpox killed 30-50% of infected children
- Lady Mary Montagu introduced variolation in 1717
- Smallpox was eradicated globally by 1980.

### Medical Breakthroughs

- Penicillin discovery in 1928 changed the future by treating bacterial infections
- Antibiotics are now widely overused.

### Personal Impact

- The speaker's grandmother lost three children to infectious diseases, including one to pneumonia during pregnancy.

### Conclusion and Call to Action

- Do not forget history; remember the progress made through vaccination and medicine; ask older relatives about their experiences with past diseases; quote: "Kto nie pamięta historii, skazany jest na ponowne jej przeżycie."

![Screenshot at 00:05: The title slide for the TEDxKoszalin event theme "YOUR TURN".](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G2Re9oJDR3E/00-00-05.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:25: A historical image from 1901 showing two boys, one covered in smallpox lesions and one healthy, highlighting the disease's impact.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G2Re9oJDR3E/00-00-25.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:07: A 1795 engraving of a busy market scene in Warsaw used to illustrate life 200 years prior, before major medical advances.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G2Re9oJDR3E/00-01-07.jpg)
![Screenshot at 05:07: A slide contrasting images from 1973 \(a child with smallpox\) and 1972 \(a man recovering from smallpox\), showing the disease's severity shortly before eradication.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G2Re9oJDR3E/00-05-07.jpg)
![Screenshot at 10:52: A slide summarizing historical child mortality rates: 100 years ago, 140-230/1000 died, compared to 3-5/1000 currently.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G2Re9oJDR3E/00-10-52.jpg)