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Can you outsmart the fallacy that fooled a generation of doctors? - Elizabeth Cox

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TEDEd Animation

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It’s 1843, and a debate is raging about one of the most common killers of women: childbed fever— no one knows what causes it. One physician has observed patients with inflammation go on to develop childbed fever, and therefore believes the inflammation causes the fever. What's the problem with this argument? Elizabeth Cox explores the false cause fallacy and how to dissect claims with skepticism.

Why did the medical establishment tend to reject the contagion theory and support the theory that inflammation caused childbed fever?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Elizabeth Cox
  • Director Hector Herrera, Pazit Cahlon
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Animator Hector Herrera
  • Storyboard Artist Pazit Cahlon
  • Art Director Hector Herrera
  • Composer Massassauga
  • Sound Designer Nick Sewell
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Special Thanks Alicia Lane

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