A Physics Forum Member in King Arthur's Court

[pinball1970]

I was assuming I would only arrive with the clothes on my back

You are not giving me much to work with Dave.

Pretty certain everyone will have bad teeth and wounds, cysts, boils etc that need healing.

Sell my expensive clothes on my back, buy some cheap hemp for replacement.
Then procure some salt, needle, yarn, get some white willow bark and poppies.
Start up a medical practice/dentist.
Read up on opium, salicylic acid and the treatment of infected wounds before hand (and dentistry)

King gets wind of it then I can create the revolution from within.

I think I would make a first rate Dr in the 6th century. I would probably need help from the wise woman on where to get all plant material.

 

[DaveC426913]

You are not giving me much to work with Dave.

Right. The question is meant to be about what knowledge, wisdom and history you know, right now, such that, - if you were bang-shangalanged on the head by a faery this moment and found yourself in, say, 1666 London, you could help the people.

Pretty certain everyone will have bad teeth and wounds, cysts, boils etc that need healing.

This goes in an interesting direction. It sounds like you're thinking of how you could make a living.

I was thinking bigger picture. How could you help the most people?

Sell my expensive clothes on my back, buy some cheap hemp for replacement.

We don't need ot get into the weeds of how exactly you manage to gain a foothold.

Then procure some salt, needle, yarn, get some white willow bark and poppies.
Start up a medical practice/dentist.

Yeah. Making a living.

Read up on opium, salicylic acid and the treatment of infected wounds before hand (and dentistry)

This is the kind of thing I was thinking. Although you don't know you're going to be bang-shangalanged, so you only go with what you know.

Although it's interesting the different directions in which members are taking the question. Directions I hadn't thought of.

I think I would make a first rate Dr in the 6th century. I would probably need help from the wise woman on where to get all plant material.

Beyond treating individuals for individual maladies, how could you help them help themselves? What's the greatest change you could hope to make?

 

[pinball1970]

What's the greatest change you could hope to make?

Teach them what I know, heal and teach at the same time. When I gained their trust try and influence their morality, treatment of children, the role of women and people from other societies should they meet them.

Getting a society to change the way they think and approach life would make a difference.

So I would make changes by healing, teaching and some moral guidance.

 

[Flyboy]

With no prep time, and trying to help the most people, I still think teaching germ theory in a simplified form is the best approach. It would have a fairly quick and widespread impact.

I also still stand by my idea of bringing the printing press into play earlier than it would have, especially if you pair up with the church and use it as a way to introduce literacy by way of, say, teaching the population to read in English as part of the services. Sunday School, one could say.

 

[gmax137]

I have found that interfering in the past is always a bad idea. DAMHIK.

 

[pinball1970]

I have found that interfering in the past is always a bad idea. DAMHIK.

 

[DaveC426913]

I have found that interfering in the past is always a bad idea. DAMHIK.

Yes. Outside the scope of the question.

Pretend it's the kind of time travel where it's not your own past you're travelling to but a new universe. No paradoxen.

 

[Mondayman]

I was assuming I would only arrive with the clothes on my back.

If the scenario involved having time to prepare, and bring things/people - that would be a VERY different scenario.

Dang. I was definitely counting on being able to bring my boomstick and ammo. I just wasn't sure which one to bring. Remington Fieldmaster or Lee Enfield?

 

[renormalize]

I was assuming I would only arrive with the clothes on my back.

Even that might be impossible:

 

[Mondayman]

Walks into King Arthur's court naked.

"I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle."

 

[tech99]

At the time of Saxon England, I do not think that modern man, without his mobile phone, would be able to find food and shelter for survival, let alone showing Saxons how to do things. There would be no time or priority for health education, societal changes or religion. Further than that, few people today know how to build ships and smelt fine metals as did the Saxons. Today's man would be sickened by the killing of animals and the harshness and cruelty of life.

 

[DaveC426913]

At the time of Saxon England, I do not think that modern man, without his mobile phone, would be able to find food and shelter for survival,

Yeah, that might be a little far back, even before the city of London. He'd have to go to a Roman settlement.

let alone showing Saxons how to do things. There would be no time or priority for health education, societal changes or religion.

What if he hung out a shingle as an erstwhile doctor, and started fixing people one-by-one?

Further than that, few people today know how to build ships and smelt fine metals as did the Saxons.

True, probably not the best profession to go into.

Although I think I could probably build a prototype sloop that might outpace their lateen-rigged boats.

 

[snorkack]

At the time of Saxon England, I do not think that modern man, without his mobile phone, would be able to find food and shelter for survival, let alone showing Saxons how to do things.

A Saami or an African transported to Saxon England would also not have known where to find food and shelter without assistance and teaching of the Saxons - his/her hosts or owners, and colleagues.

 

[Lren Zvsm]

It's a nice idea but that would be the drawback.

You bring some guy back using CPR say?
In league with satan, who else has control over death?

The goal of CPR is to keep the body in revivable condition until the paramedics arrive. CPR has revived people whose hearts had stopped--but the odds are against it.

 

[berkeman]

The goal of CPR is to keep the body in revivable condition until the paramedics arrive. CPR has revived people whose hearts had stopped--but the odds are against it.

Correct. CPR (compressions and rescue breathing) help to keep the patient's tissues oxygenated until you can use a defibrillator to reset the heart's rhythm. As long as the heart is in a shockable rhythm (Vfib or Vtach), the defibrillation has a good chance of resetting it back to a more normal sinus rhythm. If the heart rhythm is flatline, then additional drugs are needed to try to get the heart going again.

 

[DaveC426913]

Standing in the shower this morning trying to figure if I know how to make soap.

I think I know how to make penicillin (the white fuzz that grows on the green fuzz that grows on bread), but I don't know how to preserve it, pack it, how to make it into edible form or how to make agar (petrie dish growing medium).

 

[erobz]

Standing in the shower this morning trying to figure if I know how to make soap.

I think I know how to make penicillin (the white fuzz that grows on the green fuzz that grows on bread), but I don't know how to preserve it, pack it, how to make it into edible form or how to make agar (petrie dish growing medium).

I think the truth of the matter is we would have much more to learn about survival outside of the system than we could teach before we died ourselves. Try going into the cold snowy woods today with nothing but a knife and your clothes.

 

[jedishrfu]

I know several posts here have mentioned the idea of convincing people that women have intelligence and should be schooled along with boys.

However, history paints a different picture. The early transmission of Christianity shows it was sponsored by women, and many small congregations were led by women, but later generations sought to erase that history. Frescoes and mosaics were altered or defaced to hide the gender because she was a woman.

We may have had women leaders throughout history, but men in power see women as dangerous. It's played out even in today's world. I doubt if any time traveler could change that ever.

 

[DaveC426913]

I think the truth of the matter is we would have much more to learn about survival outside of the system than we could teach before we died ourselves. Try going into the cold snowy woods today with nothing but a knife and your clothes.

Ok, but what does that have to do with helping the people of 17th century London?

 

[erobz]

I know several posts here have mentioned the idea of convincing people that women have intelligence and should be schooled along with boys.

However, history paints a different picture. The early transmission of Christianity shows it was sponsored by women, and many small congregations were led by women, but later generations sought to erase that history. Frescoes and mosaics were altered or defaced to hide the gender because she was a woman.

We may have had women leaders throughout history, but men in power see women as dangerous. It's played out even in today's world. I doubt if any time traveler could change that ever.

What are we talking about, what class of people? My grandfather, just born maybe 114 years ago didn't make it out of the 8th grade before he went to the coal mines to help support his family, after he was shipped overseas to fight a few years later?

 

[erobz]

Ok, but what does that have to do with helping the people of 17th century London?

What class of people are you trying to educate?

 

[jedishrfu]

What are we talking about, what class of people? My grandfather, just maybe 114 years ago didn't make it out of the 8th grade before he went to the coal mines to help support his family, after he was shipped overseas to fight a few years later?

What does your grandfather have to do with women being treated as intellectual equals to men?

 

[erobz]

What does your grandfather have to do with women being treated as intellectual equals to men?

I just don't see this major difference in how men and women we treated back then...It seems like a perspective of the aristocrats. I also had a great aunt in the vicinity of his age that skipped grades and graduated high school early. I live in backwoods rural America, and so did they. Should she have went to college while my grandfather was sent over to crawl around in the mud getting shot at in his 20's? Same with my other grandfather, only he was 18.

 

[DaveC426913]

What class of people are you trying to educate?

Well the question is meant elicit to ideas I had not thought of, so if educating a class of people is what you think would be best, I can't argue with that.

My take was more along the lines of trying to set up shop (somehow) and improving life generally to the citizens of the town. I suppose I see that as an apothecary, where people might come for ailments. I'd use it as a home base to urge them to drive out the rats, use clean, boiled water, wash regularly and where I could treat injuries as anti-septically as feasible. In my fantasy, after a few wins, I might gain some respect for my wisdom in keeping people alive.

 

[erobz]

Well the question is meant elicit to ideas I had not thought of, so if educating a class of people is what you think would be best, I can't argue with that.

My take was more along the lines of trying to set up shop (somehow) and improving life generally to the citizens of the town. I suppose I see that as an apothecary, where people might come for ailments. I'd use it as a home base to urge them to drive out the rats, use clean, boiled water, wash regularly and where I could treat injuries as anti-septically as feasible. In my fantasy, after a few wins, I might gain some respect for my wisdom in keeping people alive.

But if you are time traveling with no useable wealth except knowledge...then you are coming back as a bum in the streets of London?

 

[DaveC426913]

But if you are time traveling with no useable wealth except knowledge...then you are coming back as a bum in the streets of London

The technicalities of the actual "how do I get through the first week and find a bed to sleep in" are meant to be beyond the scope of the question. Assume some kind soul takes mercy and puts you up until you can make yourself useful.

I do not mean to lead this in a particular direction but I keep coming back to these Star Trek episodes for my imagination:

Thine Own Self, wherein Data, suffering from amnesia finds himself in a village roughly equivalent to Renaissance Earth and tries to find a cure for what ails the village people.

Another one, though much less analogous, is The City of the Edge of Forever, Kirk and Spock survive in 1930 by the mercy of Edith Keeler who, in exchange for menial duties, puts them up in a room in her New York mission.


Oh - and for the record: no, I did not make this thread as any kind of prelude to writing my own time travel story - it just happens to be something I think about a lot when I think about my place in the world.

 

[erobz]

The technicalities of the actual "how do I get through the first week and find a bed to sleep in" are meant to be beyond the scope of the question. Assume some kind soul takes mercy and puts you up until you can make yourself useful.

I do not mean to lead this in a particular direction but I keep coming back to these Star Trek episodes for my imagination:

Thine Own Self, wherein Data, suffering from amnesia finds himself in a village roughly equivalent to Renaissance Earth and tries to find a cure for what ails the village people.

Another one, though much less analogous, is The City of the Edge of Forever, Kirk and Spock survive in 1930 by the mercy of Edith Keeler who, in exchange for menial duties, puts them up in a room in her New York mission.


Oh - and for the record: no, I did not make this thread as any kind of prelude to writing my own time travel story - it just happens to be something I think about a lot when I think about my place in the world.

I'd imagine you don't need to time travel. If you are really worried about it you could probably catch a flight to many places that exist in the world today and try it? You could make it an autobiography.

 

[jedishrfu]

I just don't see this major difference in how men and women we treated back then...It seems like the perspective of the aristocrats. I also had a great aunt near his age who skipped grades and graduated high school early. I live in backwoods rural America, and so did they. Should she have went to college while my grandfather was sent over to crawl around in the mud getting shot at in his 20's? Same with my other grandfather, only he was 18.

You're missing the point of the thread. Some posters suggested changing the mindset of people in power by showing how women were equal to men in intelligence back in history. In contrast, I was arguing that historically aristocratic men would limit women whenever they could.

 

[DaveC426913]

I'd imagine you don't need to time travel. If you are really worried about it you could probably catch a flight to many places that exist in the world today and try it? You could make it an autobiography.

A fair point, but they don't suffer from primitive knowledge, they suffer from primitive access. Unless I went into the jungles of the amazon, I probably wouldn't need to convince anyone why clean water, soap and penicillin is a good thing.