[Spooky23]

Traditional medicine was a thing, but the problem was that without the scientific method and isolation of active ingredients, you had no way to know if the treatment was helpful or not.

So one healer may provide you with an effective concoction of antibiotic compounds, but the next may treat with with leeches and give you some herbal tea.

[soufron]

Let's say medicine was essentially accessible to rich people who could employ the rare people who could perform a bit of surgery, make a difference between drugs and placebo, etc.

[Spooky23]

The problem was that they didn't know what was effective or not.

Capitalist societies are relatively new. The nobility might have access to a healer, but that healer may be practicing some religious mumbo jumbo. Middle age kings would get a bleeding from a leech and a dose of Jesus.

In China, you'd get traditional medicine that has some legit use cases, but lots of bullshit as well.

[jomamaxx]

There are hardly any medical procedures performed more than 100 years ago that are actually medical.

Amputations.

What else?

Later on bladder stone removals ... child birth ... setting broken bones.

Even today, if you have something wrong the doctor gives you the 'wonder cure' penicillin.

[Spooky23]

You pretty much made the point. The historical maternal death rate during childbirth was >1%, and even higher in adverse conditions.