10 insane medical beliefs from the past
Undergoing treatment in the past was a dangerous dalliance with death. Back then, the every sort of quack- farmers, monks, and barbers- took a swing at serious surgery. With crude tools, no anesthesia, and absolutely no knowledge of human anatomy, these butchers dispensed excruciating pain with zeal. Here are 10 insane medical beliefs from the past.
1. Bloodletting
This was the panacea for every ailment, injury, mental illness, or infection. The doctor simply cut open a vein with a thin blade, and let the patient bleed into a pan. Better yet, leeches could be attached to the patient to suck blood. This practice was also used by monks to stay in good health, even when perfectly healthy.
2. Trepanation
Bizarre as it may seem, drilling a hole into the skull was a popular cure for head problems. Headaches, seizures, skull injuries, and mental illness, were all treated by this grotesque procedure. To make things worse, no anesthesia was available. This practice was especially believed to free bad spirits in demented persons.
3. Lobotomy
This practice gave a whole new meaning to getting inside one’s head! This barbaric cure involved poking a ten inch ice pick through the eye into the head. As if that was not dangerous enough, the doctor would then hammer it further into the brain. This was supposedly great for curing mental illness. It probably worked by turning the poor patient into a drooling vegetable.
4. The soothing syrup
Even back then, children were annoying brats who cried all the time. However, no one had time for parental niceties. So they came up with the soothing syrup. This concoction consisted of a deadly mixture of heroin, opium, cannabis, chloroform, and codeine, among others. This miracle cure sent difficult toddlers into a daze, or knocked them out cold. Many also died.
5. Heroin
A famous prescription for the cough was heroin. It was touted as a treatment for a bad chest a little less than a century ago. Strangely, heroin was also used to cure morphine addiction, yet that’s exactly what heroin turns into once consumed!
6. Bladder surgery
This was done to remove bladder stones. The doctor inserted a metal hook through the urethra to move the stone closer to the bladder entrance. The stone was then cut out via the anus.
7. Mercury
This toxic metal was employed as a treatment for syphilis. The disease was a serious problem back then, so drastic measures had to be taken. More pleasurable cures for syphilis included sleeping with virgins.
8. Electric shocks
The power of electricity drove people to believe it could cure everything. A most bizarre treatment for erectile dysfunction entailed shocking the genitals with electricity. Mental illness was also treated by giving the brain jolts of electric current.
9. Tapeworm diets
Back then, women did not have time for starvation diets or aerobics. An easier solution for that extra fat was to eat tapeworm eggs. These hatched in the belly, and grew several meters in length. The tapeworms would then feed on most of the nutrients, leaving the woman malnourished and thinner.
10. Drinking urine
The age old practice of drinking urine has unfortunately persisted till modern times. Urine was considered a cure for acne, sore throats and even bone fractures. It was also used to whiten teeth.
Next time you think your doctor is being careless with a swab, think again. It literally could be so much worse!
