Our researchers here at The History Bluff have gotten to the bottom of one of the greatest advancements in medical history. Sickness was running rampant in England’s pubs in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s until W.H. Iskey, an alcoholic medical student, came up with the breakthrough.

W.H. often had this blank, glazed look about him. Although he was not able to earn a degree from them, the University of Aberdeen gave him an honorary DUI (Doctor Under the Influence).

The young medical student frequented the Red Shark Saloon near Aberdeen and always drank at the bar. During this time, patrons would have a shot glass filled to the brim, take a sip and then get up for a game of snooker. When they came back they had forgetten which glass was theirs and drink whichever was closest. With saliva being shared like library books, the Red Shark became filled with men suffering from Mononucleosis and Hepatitis B.

In 1902 W.H. began to suspect that the sicknesses were related to the men sharing glasses. He proposed that the men begin to mark the glasses in some way, either with a symbol or their name. They did so and after a just a few months they were feeling healthy and feeling strong enough to play snooker again.

Sickness rarely hit the Red Shark Saloon after W.H. Iskey’s findings except for when the bartender cleaned the glasses by fogging them with his breath and wiping them with his age-old apron.

Our hero from today’s story didn’t lead what we would call a successful life. He never completed his medical degree, but he did receive certification to become a midwife. Because he was often drunk his accuracy rate in determining the baby’s gender was a paltry thirty-two percent.