Don't Confuse Me With Facts

We all have a way of believing "Old Wives' Tales." They are part of our cultural stories. We believe them even when we know that they may not be true. Sadly it isn't just cultural things. I am currently reading An Instance of the Fingerpost which takes place in 1600s England. Part of what I have already read has some discussions and arguments about the human body, health, and healing.

For example, the "modern" thinker stands against some of the folk remedies that doctors prescribed- but also believed that the stars and astrology could impact health. On the other side the old-timer who puts noxious stuff on his eyes to "cure" them thinks astrology is bunk. So in the end some kinds of cultural baggage informs many things we believe.

One I remember is the old saw that you don't go swimming for an hour after eating. We would sit along the beach waiting for that hour to be up. It made sense, of course, that the body needed everything to digest the food in the stomach.

What to my surprise then about 20 years ago when a friend and trained lifeguard/water safety instructor told me that this was no longer considered an issue. I was upset about all the hours wasted out of the water.

There are of course many of these "old wives' tales".

By the way, what and where did this phrase come from? Ultimately, to no surprise, from the Bible.
Here from Wikipedia:

An old wives' tale (often mispronounced as old wise tale) is a type of urban legend, similar to a proverb, which is generally passed down by old wives to a younger generation. Such 'tales' usually consist of superstition, folklore or unverified claims with exaggerated and/or untrue details. Today old wives' tales are still common among children in school playgrounds. Old wives' tales often concern pregnancy, puberty and nutrition.

In this context, the word wife means woman rather than married woman. This usage stems from Old English wif (woman) and is akin to the German weib, also meaning woman. This sense of the word is still used in Modern English in constructions such as midwife and fishwife.

Most old wives' tales are false and are used to discourage unwanted behavior, usually in children. Among the few tales with grains of truth, the veracity is likely coincidental.

The concept of old wives' tales is ancient. In the 1st Century, the apostle Paul wrote to his young protege Timothy, "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness" (I Timothy 4:7).

Anyway, this is just a long introduction to a link from The Best Article Every Day website where they recently debunked 10 Old Wives' Tales.

But I'm not sure they are right that the full moon doesn't cause more problems. Some old wives' tales must be based on something from anecdotal evidence. (Or do I just want an excuse for my weird behavior every 28 days?)

Oh, and note their support for debunking the swimming tale is from the Mayo Clinic. Must be right!