Panacea (medicine)

A panacea (/pænəˈsiːə/) is any supposed remedy that is claimed (for example) to cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Named after the Greek goddess of universal remedy Panacea, it was in the past sought by alchemists in connection with the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance that would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, many "patent medicines" were claimed to be panaceas, and they became very big business. The term "panacea" is used in a negative way to describe the overuse of any one solution to solve many different problems, especially in medicine.^[1] The word has acquired connotations of snake oil and quackery.^[2]

A panacea (or panaceum) is also a literary term to represent any solution to solve all problems related to a particular issue.^[3]

^ "Honey, mud, maggots and other medical marvels". msu.edu. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020.
^ Örtenblad, Anders, ed. (18 December 2015). "Foreword by David Collins". Handbook of Research on Management Ideas and Panaceas: Adaptation and Context. Research Handbooks in Business and Management series. Chelthnham: Edward Elgar Publishing (published 2015). p. xxvii. ISBN 978-1-78347-560-5. Retrieved 21 November 2019. A panacea is [...] a cure-all. In modern medicine its lexical equivalents would include such things as 'elixirs', 'patent medicine' and 'snake-oil'. Panaceas are sold by 'quacks'. the purchasers of such preparations are, consequently, taken to be either gullible, desperate, or both.
^ "Definition of 'panacea'". Collins dictionary online. HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 12 April 2022.

[1] "Honey, mud, maggots and other medical marvels". msu.edu. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020.

[Örtenblad-2] Örtenblad, Anders, ed. (18 December 2015). "Foreword by David Collins". Handbook of Research on Management Ideas and Panaceas: Adaptation and Context. Research Handbooks in Business and Management series. Chelthnham: Edward Elgar Publishing (published 2015). p. xxvii. ISBN 978-1-78347-560-5. Retrieved 21 November 2019. A panacea is [...] a cure-all. In modern medicine its lexical equivalents would include such things as 'elixirs', 'patent medicine' and 'snake-oil'. Panaceas are sold by 'quacks'. the purchasers of such preparations are, consequently, taken to be either gullible, desperate, or both.

[3] "Definition of 'panacea'". Collins dictionary online. HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 12 April 2022.

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