In which century did people start to use the phrase 'prevention is better than cure'?

• A. 17th
• B. 18th
• C. 19th
• D. 20th

Answer: (B)

This question looks at when the saying about prevention being better than treatment first appeared in English. The idea itself—that stopping illness before it starts is more valuable than trying to cure it later—began to be widely expressed in the 18th century. The well-known longer version often cited, stating that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” comes from that same period and reflects the growing emphasis on prophylaxis and public health in Enlightenment-era thinking. So the 18th century is the best fit for when this phrase entered common usage. Earlier centuries didn’t standardize this concise proverb in the way it did later, while the saying remained in use and continued to be echoed in the 19th and 20th centuries as preventive ideas solidified in medical practice.