From ‘Railway Spine’ To ‘Whiplash’: What We’ve Learned
During the 19th century, the railroad industry exploded on the scene in both America and Europe. When the travelling public went all on board with this mode of transportation, accidents were inevitable, and some sustained injuries.
In the 1800s, medical care was pretty rudimentary, so diagnosing ailments depended on the doctor's observation. There were no objective instruments such as those we have today, like X-rays, MRIs and ultrasounds.
Between 1830 and 1900, there were 127 train accidents in the United Kingdom, with many deaths and injuries. Patients complained of symptoms such as back pain, headaches and depression. Since doctors at the time couldn't find a "cause" for many symptoms, they determined that it had to be a psychological problem. A neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, considered railway spine to be a case of hysteria.
This kind of approach by the medical community has been quite common even in modern times. I saw many patients over the years who were involved in rear-end "whiplash" motor vehicle accidents who were referred to psychiatrists. Of course, you cannot separate the physical from the mental. Every physical injury has a mental component.
So what is whiplash, and what can people do about it?
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