Mankind has come a long way from the times when any medical procedure was a lesson in
agonizing pain.
Something as mundane as an ingrown nail could lead to death, and let us all just be glad
that we have made so much progress in the field of medicine.
But there were still some medical practices from the olden times that we just thought
were too weird!
13.
Mouse Paste.
Ancient Egypt did suffer a lot from dental problems, especially toothache.
The reason was that sand would get in almost everywhere there, including the food.
Thus, eating the gritty sand often resulted in the enamel covering being worn down.
But the Egyptians found a cure for this toothache.
Rat!
Yes, dead and often festering rat were used as a treatment in Egypt.
A paste would be made from these dead mice and applied on the places where it hurt.
And if the pain was too great to handle, the entire mouse was applied directly!
Needless to say, this sort of a treatment caused more harm than good as a simple old
toothache was often converted into a full blown infection.
12.
Humans.
Yea, that’s right!
There were a lot of times when human flesh, blood or bone was used as a medical treatment.
In fact, those suffering from persistent headaches, cramps and stomach ulcers were supposedly
cured by an elixir that contained human blood!
In fact, Romans believed that the blood of a fallen gladiator could cure epilepsy!
And there was also the 12th century medicine which was basically mummy powder!
These cannibalistic medicines were though to have magical powers and it was said that
once you consumed the remains of a dead person, part of their soul would also come into you!
11.
Cutting Teeth.
When babies start to grow teeth, it can be a harrowing time for parents as they end up
chewing anything and everything!
But in 16th century France, there was a process which would allow for the teeth to come out
much faster!
What they would do is take a scalpel and cut the tissue over the teeth so that it would
come through, And even though this practice started in France, it spread to other parts
of the world as well.
This practice was used till the early parts of the 20th century but it is unclear how
many children died because of this procedure as the instruments used for the cutting weren’t
always sterile and it did lead to a trauma in kids.
10.
Babylonian Skull Cure.
In ancient Babylonia, most illnesses were thought to be the result of demonic forces
or a punishment by the Gods.
And doctors were more or less like priests who ordered some very bizarre ways of treatment.
For example, if a patient ground their teeth, it was believed that the spirit of a family
member was trying to contact them.
And more often than not, the cure for these diseases were to keep a human skull by the
bedside as they slept at night to ward off the spirits.
Oh, and they were also supposed to lick the skull a few times every night to increase
effectiveness!
9.
Bloodletting.
There is an actual reason why the term bad blood has come to describe feuds.
Or at least we think so!
In ancient times, whenever anyone felt sick, it was usually though that it was the result
of some bad blood.
It was believed that all the fluids in the body needed to be kept maintained for a proper
functioning human.
So, the practice of bloodletting started in Egypt and Sumeria and soon spread to the rest
of the world.
To restore the bodily harmony, doctors of those times simply made a cut on a vein of
a person and drained some of the blood.
Alternatively, leeches were also used to suck out blood.
And while the blood loss could easily lead to a lot of deaths, bloodletting was practiced
well into the 19th century!
From the sore throat to the plague, they thought everything could be cured by just letting
the bad blood out!
8.
Trepanation.
This one is one of the oldest forms of surgery that was done.
Of course, the reason for such a surgery was hardly rooted in science.
Trepanation basically involved drilling holes into your skulls.
The most important reason for doing that would probably have been to release the evil spirits
and demons possessing the minds.
Of course scientists can only speculate, but it kind of does stand to reason does it not?
But while it is difficult of doing such a thing even today, it is but obvious that there
would have been some complications arising out of such a dangerous procedures and findings
in Peru have shows that there was probably an emergency treatment for the skull fragments
left behind in the head!
7.
Mercury.
While mercury is a fascinating metal, there is no doubt today that it is highly toxic.
But in the ancient times, mercury was actually a prized medicine and was used as an ointment.
Liquid mercury, or quicksilver and red mercury sulfide were used often as it supposedly increased
life span and vitality.
Of course, there were also some healers who said that a brew of mercury, arsenic and sulfur
would give their patients immortality and the ability to walk on water.
Needless to say, but it didn’t and in fact this sort of a diet claimed many lies, including
that of Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
And this is not the only case of mercury being used as a medicine.
From the renaissance to the early 20thcentury, mercury was also used as a treatment for syphilis.
Well, let us be thankful that mercury only appears in thermometers today as far as medicine
is concerned!
6.
Animal Dung Ointment.
As far as ancient medicine goes, the Egyptians were one of the most advanced civilizations.
They had a properly organized medical structure, but that did not mean that all cures they
gave their patients were up to the mark.
Lizard blood, dead mice, mud and moldy bread were often the medicines prescribed by them
and they weren’t really that effective.
But one of the things that they prescribed which was really disgusting was human and
animal poop as a cure all remedy for injuries and diseases!
And of all the animals, donkey, dog, gazelle and fly were in demand as they could not just
heal but also keep off the bad spirits.
Well, given that they smell pretty awful, we are sure that more than just spirits would
keep off!
And while some of the dung does contain some medicinal properties, it is not really advisable!
5.
Python Bile.
In China, animals play a huge role in their traditional medicine.
Which was actually one of the ways where the poachers got good returns for their hunts
as the Doctor often paid huge sums to get a hold of these exotic animals and use them
in various medicines.
One such thing was python bile which was used to treat genital ulcers.
The bile of the animal was collected and employed externally to cure the ulcer!
We wonder if part of the treatment was to catch the python as well!
4.
Clay Consumption.
While kids often eat clay, there is no real up side to it!
That is, until the clay is from a special Greek island Lemnos which was used in the
ancient times to treat diarrhea.
Discs of this clay were made and sold as a medical remedy and it was even a popular export
item!
Of course, today eating clay is not considered a form of treatment.
But interestingly, the Lemnos clay has been shown to contain Kaolin and bentonite which
are both used in the medicines prescribed for diarrhea today!
So the ancient Greeks did have some thing right!
Although if you do suffer from diarrhea ever, just don’t go looking for this magical,
healing clay and head to the pharmacy!
3.
Partial Tongue Removal.
The ancient days were really not a good time for those who had speech disorders.
Not only were they generally made fun of on all occasions because of a lack of understanding,
sometimes they went through some really bizarre treatments as well!
In the 18th and 19th century Europe, there was a cure for stutters and stammers!
Doctors believed removing a part of the tongue would help in correcting the speech.
And while this process is still used, but the cause is different.
Today, partial tongue removal is used to take out many of the cancerous cells that oral
cancer patients have, but in the olden days it was used as a cure for stammers.
But of course, the cure didn’t work and many patients also lost their lives due to
infection and blood loss!
2.
Tobacco.
If someone said today that tobacco is actually a medicine, they would be laughed off because
the harmful effects of tobacco have been documented way too many times!
But in Native American culture, tobacco was a widely used medicine to treat anything from
chronic pain to tuberculosis!
And they were used in a variety of ways as well.
The leaves were smoked, eaten or ground up and applied topically!
While today doctors would actually cry murder over the use of tobacco medicinally, the tobacco
we get today in cigarettes and other products is not really pure.
But even when taken in a pure form, like the Native Americans did, tobacco is still highly
addictive and not really a good idea for a medicine!
1.
Cocaine.
Ok, so this one will actually flip a lot of people out!
But someone as noted as Sigmund Freud believed that cocaine could actually be used as a medicine!
Freud was, and still is, one of the foremost names in psychology and so it would be obvious
that he would study substances that affect the brains as well as the diseases that would
affect the brain.
And as most of us would know, one type of case that psychiatrists always have in abundance
is that of depression.
And he was known for occasionally prescribing the use of cocaine to deal with depression.
And he was not alone either.
Many doctors from the 19th century were known to prescribe cocaine as a treatment for a
range of ailments like depressions, migraines and toothaches!
But whether they were inspired from the renowned psychologist or if it was the other way around,
we might never know!
But one thing is for sure, whatever is ailing you, cocaine is definitely not the answer!
Well, aren’t you glad that medical science has actually progressed a lot and does not
need such treatments anymore!
But if you have ever heard or seen any doctor prescribing a weird treatment for a disease,
do let us know in the comments section below and remember to subscribe to our channel for
instant updates on all our videos!