Before the 20th century, the care of the sick was driven by trial and error. Although there were dedicated to heath the sick, from wise elders with knowledge of natural remedies to professionals with tools and drugs, most of their knowledge was from experiences and not science. Before the establishment of the Germ Theory, there was little scientific understanding of why, how, when, and where illnesses stemmed from. The idea that the body needed balance in order to be healthy was true in some sense, as one must balance relaxation and work for stable mental health. But this theoretical kind of balance was not the biggest issue at the time. As time passes, people learned what worked best with a fever, what herbs were dangerous, and that filthy homes are no place to raise children. The scientific findings sped up the process of finding the reasoning behind how illnesses manifest themselves in people and animals.