--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before the 20th century, the ulcer was…" description: "\"Before the 20th century, the ulcer was not a respectable disease. Doctors would say, 'You're under a lot of stress.' Nineteenth-century Europe and Amer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/barry-marshall-28295_america_before-the-20th-century-the-ulcer-was-no_3230468.jpg" --- # Before the 20th century, the ulcer was not a respectable… ![“Before the 20th century, the ulcer was not a respectable disease. Doctors would say, 'You're under a lot of stress.' Nineteenth-century Europe and America had all these crazy health spas and quack treatments.” quote by Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/barry-marshall-28295_america_before-the-20th-century-the-ulcer-was-no_3230468.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/barry-marshall-28295_america_before-the-20th-century-the-ulcer-was-no_3230468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/barry-marshall-28295_america_before-the-20th-century-the-ulcer-was-no_3230468.jpg) > “Before the 20th century, the ulcer was not a respectable disease. Doctors would say, 'You're under a lot of stress.' Nineteenth-century Europe and America had all these crazy health spas and quack treatments.” [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In the past, ulcers were dismissed as a sign of personal weakness, leading to ineffective treatments and stigma. **In simple terms:** Ulcers were seen as a personal flaw, not a medical issue. Key Takeaway Recognize health issues as medical, not moral failures. Themes health stigma medical misconceptions historical attitudes Mood reflective critical empathetic Type advice historical educational When to use this quote - patient counseling - public health education - medical training - health policy reform Key Concepts psychosomatics social perception clinical practice Questions to Reflect On - How does stigma affect patient outcomes? - What can clinicians do to reduce blame language? A Different Perspective Modern medicine still battles stigma around mental and physical health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Century Ulcer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century-ulcer-5957711/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Respectable Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable-disease-6108872/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Stress Nineteenth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress-nineteenth-6108873/) [Ulcer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcer/) [Ulcer Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcer-respectable-6108871/) ## Related quotes > [The 20th-century ulcer epidemic was a sign of good health in American people - good diet, strong acidity and healthy immune response actually make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/the-20th-century-ulcer-epidemic-was-a-sign-of-good-health-in-american/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [It was so frustrating to see ulcer patients having surgery, or even dying, when I knew a simple antibiotic treatment could fix the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/it-was-so-frustrating-to-see-ulcer-patients-having-surgery-or-even/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [Nobody should smoke cigarettes - and smoking with an ulcer is like pouring gasoline on a burning house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-should-smoke-cigarettes-and-smoking-with-an-ulcer-is-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate putting negative energy out into the world. But it's either inside or out. I mean, it's either get an ulcer or have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-hate-putting-negative-energy-out-into-the-world-but-it-s-either/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [I have an ulcer. It has an IQ of 185.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lynde/i-have-an-ulcer-it-has-an-iq-of-185/) [Paul Lynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lynde/) > [“Beasley was a little man whose face looked like an X ray of an ulcer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/beasley-was-a-little-man-whose-face-looked-like-an-x-ray-of-an-ulcer/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [You must lance an ulcer to heal it. You must tear down parts of an old building to restore it, and so it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/you-must-lance-an-ulcer-to-heal-it-you-must-tear-down-parts-of-an-old/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“But the decubitus ulcer presents a unique psychological horror. The word “decubitus” comes from the Latin decumbere, to lie down. As a rule, bedridden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-doughty/but-the-decubitus-ulcer-presents-a-unique-psychological-horror-the/) [Caitlin Doughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-doughty/) > [Envy is the ulcer of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/envy-is-the-ulcer-of-the-soul/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“Anybody over sixteen without an ulcer's a goddamn spy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/anybody-over-sixteen-without-an-ulcer-s-a-goddamn-spy/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Golf is a game where guts and blind devotion will always net you absolutely nothing but an ulcer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-bolt/golf-is-a-game-where-guts-and-blind-devotion-will-always-net-you/) [Tommy Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-bolt/) > [I wanted to do 'Texas Trilogy' on stage. But it didn't do well in New York. In fact, it did very badly there, thanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ladd/i-wanted-to-do-texas-trilogy-on-stage-but-it-didn-t-do-well-in-new/) [Diane Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ladd/) > [“Your ability to survive anything that gets thrown at you sometimes leaves the rest of us swallowing ulcer medication for days afterward. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/your-ability-to-survive-anything-that-gets-thrown-at-you-sometimes/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Ugliness is a point of view; an ulcer is wonderful to a pathologist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/ugliness-is-a-point-of-view-an-ulcer-is-wonderful-to-a-pathologist/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [I'm going to do my best to do both and die of an ulcer at age 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-west/i-m-going-to-do-my-best-to-do-both-and-die-of-an-ulcer-at-age-30/) [Shane West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-west/) ## More by Barry Marshall > [In high school I had B's and C's, not too many A's, but I must have done well on that medical school test, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/in-high-school-i-had-b-s-and-c-s-not-too-many-a-s-but-i-must-have/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I was hoping I was going to get an ulcer. I was hoping to boost my research career by developing a bleeding ulcer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/i-was-hoping-i-was-going-to-get-an-ulcer-i-was-hoping-to-boost-my/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [Dad always explained the car engine when he repaired it, and he had many technical books, so I was making electromagnets by age eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/dad-always-explained-the-car-engine-when-he-repaired-it-and-he-had/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [If you say you are the Safe Food Foundation, that means you're implying that your food is safer or that every other bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/if-you-say-you-are-the-safe-food-foundation-that-means-you-re/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [In medical school, it's quite possible to get taught that you can diagnose everybody and treat everything. But then you get out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/in-medical-school-it-s-quite-possible-to-get-taught-that-you-can/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I was born in 1951 in Kalgoorlie, a prosperous mining town 370 miles east of Perth, Western Australia. Kalgoorlie was a gold rush town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/i-was-born-in-1951-in-kalgoorlie-a-prosperous-mining-town-370-miles/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [It was so frustrating to see ulcer patients having surgery, or even dying, when I knew a simple antibiotic treatment could fix the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/it-was-so-frustrating-to-see-ulcer-patients-having-surgery-or-even/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing ulcers was like saying that the Earth is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a-germ-causing-ulcers-was-like/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [If humans evolved in a tiny area of Africa, they only saw plants and animals within a 100-kilometre radius for a million years. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/if-humans-evolved-in-a-tiny-area-of-africa-they-only-saw-plants-and/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [My mother was a nurse, and in her era, most diseases weren't understood; people put mustard plasters on knees and rubbed camphor on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/my-mother-was-a-nurse-and-in-her-era-most-diseases-weren-t-understood/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [The politics have always been difficult in medicine. There is some truth in the way medical practice is portrayed in TV dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/the-politics-have-always-been-difficult-in-medicine-there-is-some/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [You can always find stress in someone's life if you want to. You ask a few questions, and eventually, it's, 'Yes, I admit, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/you-can-always-find-stress-in-someone-s-life-if-you-want-to-you-ask-a/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [The 20th-century ulcer epidemic was a sign of good health in American people - good diet, strong acidity and healthy immune response actually make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/the-20th-century-ulcer-epidemic-was-a-sign-of-good-health-in-american/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I am told by others that I have a lateral-thinking, broad approach to problems, sometimes to my detriment. In school, my grades always suffered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/i-am-told-by-others-that-i-have-a-lateral-thinking-broad-approach-to/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [There is no other prize in any country that carries the prestige that a Nobel bestows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/there-is-no-other-prize-in-any-country-that-carries-the-prestige-that/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) [Explore all 19 Barry Marshall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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