Life history r/AskReddit

‘Wow, people really used to do that 50 years ago’ – 16 ‘normal’ things in 2025, that by 2075 will be seen as barbaric

The times, they are a-changin’ – and nowhere more than in the world of medicine.

From targeted immunotherapy for cancer patients to efforts to, wait for it, efforts to literally grow new teeth from scratch, we’re making headway.

So think of it. You’re born 50, 60, 70 years from now. You’re in history class – assuming schools still exist. Your AI teacher transmits a series of images onto the corneal interface you share with your 8,000 classmates, which your Apple UltraBrain pre-interprets for your intellectual delectation.

You’re looking at the year 2025. And they do … WHAT?!

We say this after Helpful_Finger_4854 asked this over on Reddit.

‘What’s something normal to us in 2025, that by 2075 will be seen as barbaric? “Wow, people really used to do that 50 years ago”?’

And here’s what people had to say.

1.
Everything medical

I’ve heard people say that current medical dramas will qualify as horror shows when compared to medicine of the future.

I tried to think of what a medical drama in 1925 would look like and yeah, that tracks.
–jimes00

“Good God man! Drilling holes in his head isn’t the answer. The artery must be repaired! Now, put away your butcher knives and let me save this patient before it’s too late!”
–The_Original_Miser

Honestly the way medicine is going it won’t take until 2075. I mean we still poison the whole body with chemo to try to kill cancer when immunotherapy is right around the corner. The ability to train your immune cells to kill cancer specifically will be ground breaking once it becomes mainstream and affordable
–Vocalscpunk

Immunotherapy is here. I’m a beneficiary of it. Five and a half years into a cancer with an 8-9% five year survival rate, and currently no evidence of disease. Same immunotherapy meds Jimmy Carter was on when he had his brain cancer back a decade or so ago.
–LlewellynSinclair

2.
Noninvasive haemoglobin measurement

It won’t take 50 years. Went to donate blood the other day and they stuck this weird little device on my finger that got my hemoglobin number where before they stabbed my finger. Medical advances are made every day, we just don’t notice.
–jessewalker2

3.
Influencer children

Hopefully: Using your children to create content on social media so it can be monetized.
–TheWorstWitch

4.
Not anaesthetising IUD recipients

Not giving anesthesia when placing intrauterine devices (for contraception)
–tt_DVM2011

In general, medicine (and gynecology specifically) often does not appropriately care for the pain levels of women. There have been countless studies on the fact that doctors (of both sexes) are more responsive to male complains of pain than female complains. Pain for women is normalized in medicine, gynecological settings, and the female reproductive system when it shouldn’t always be.
–ThatRoryNearThePark

5.
Drilling into bones

As an orthopedic surgeon I always think people will cringe in the future at what is routine now. “You used to drill rods and screws into broken bones? What the heck were you all thinking?” I pray for either injectable bone healing bots or some Star Trek device that helps regenerate new tissue
–Orthocorey

6.
Dental care

Drilling teeth
–llcucf80

If that new shot from Japan works, this totally could be the case. Pull the tooth, get injection, grow new tooth
–nomiis19

7.
Our obsession with pastic

Use plastic round food all the time (food in plastic packaging), cutting food on plastic cutting boards, drinking from plastic straws, from plastic bottles, plastic everywhere all the time!
–letthisbeanewstart

An even bigger problem is plastic textiles.

IIRC, something like 40% of all microplastic contamination originates as polyester or other synthetic fibers.
–MarkNutt25