UNCOMMON FACTS

Cold Symptom "Cures" from the Past
Since ancient times, we’ve been trying to relieve cold symptoms. Here are some methods that ancient civilizations considered "cures":

• In 400 BC, Hippocrates noted that bleeding was a frequently used treatment for colds.
• In the first century AD, Roman philosopher Pliny recommended that cold sufferers "kiss the hairy muzzle of a mouse."²

Discovering the Cause
For centuries, no one knew what caused cold symptoms. Healers thought colds were caused by poison or "slimy liquid." Sea voyagers and explorers were the first to discover how cold viruses spread. While traveling, they observed that people living in isolated communities were free of colds until they made contact with the outside world. However, it was not until the 19th century that scientists actually began researching the cold and flu viruses.²

Developing Cold-Symptom Relief
In the early 20th century, scientists gradually unlocked the secrets of bacteria and viruses, began understanding the importance of immunization, and developed vaccines and medicines for cold symptoms.

1920s	1930s	1930s to 1940s	1950s	1960s	2000s
Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, which was the starting point for the development of other antibiotics that are still used against secondary bacterial infections associated with colds.3	English scientists isolated the first influenza virus, but it would take another 20 years to identify the rhinoviruses responsible for the common cold.4	The first flu vaccine was prepared in a laboratory.5	The first recognized rhinovirus was isolated.4	Flu vaccinations were administered worldwide.5	The entire genetic sequence of the family of rhinoviruses was mapped by scientists from the University of Maryland.6

Why No Cure?
With so much research available, why is there still no cure? The answer lies in the fact that there are so many strains of viruses that can cause cold symptoms. In fact, there are more than 200 different viruses that can replicate in the respiratory tract and produce cold symptoms in the respiratory organs. The rhinovirus alone, which researchers estimate is responsible for about 40% of common colds, has approximately 100 different strains. Other symptom-producing respiratory viruses include the coronaviruses (responsible for 10%), respiratory syncytial viruses (10% to 15%), adenoviruses, parainfluenza viruses, and enteroviruses.⁷

Unlike treatments for diseases such as smallpox or polio, there is no universal treatment in a single vaccine that can target all of the viruses. Constant developments in the natural world, such as infections passing from animals to humans (such as avian flu), always present fresh challenges.

Although the common cold is usually not life threatening, its pervasiveness around the world and the misery caused by its symptoms underscore the need for research and the importance of readily available treatments for cold symptoms.