"The Jetsons” nailed it about Telemedicine—65 years ago

“The Jetsons” of the 1960’s predicted the future in remarkable ways: a robot vacuum cleaner that resembles today’s Roomba, a digital newspaper whose video integration resembles today’s online news-sites, and video phone calling long before FaceTime or Zoom.

In one episode, one of those video calls resembles the telemedicine of today. After Elroy purported to be too sick with the “Venus Virus” to go to school, his mother decides to consult their doctor—who instantly appears on a screen in their kitchen. The doctor asks Elroy to stick out his tongue, leans in to look, and declares him completely fine to attend school that day.

Not far off from current telemedicine, which also helps maintain school attendance: by increasing the resources that school nurses rely on, so that kids can stay onsite for care—and for their education.