Medicine in the 19th century New England Renaissance lacked sanitation and effective treatments, allowing diseases to spread rapidly. Surgery was primitive, involving cutting and draining without antisepsis. Alternative treatments like herbal remedies and bloodletting were common. Women had no official role in medicine. Scientific research through autopsies and use of the stethoscope emerged but effective treatments for diseases like cholera, malaria and typhoid fever remained elusive. Common treatments included opium, mercury, and induced sweating but provided little relief from illnesses of the time.