Hey YouTube, Jim here! Welcome to Top 10 Archive! You know, modern medicine
really has come a long way. Just 100 years ago, infant mortality was common among households.
Now today, we're talking about having the first head transplant. Today we’re going through our
virtual filing cabinets and picking out the top 10 Weird Medical Images From History.
10. Leonid Rogozov
One thing about going on wild expeditions you don’t think about, is what if the doctor who came
with you is the one who needs medical attention? In the case of this Antarctic expedition in 1961,
the only surgeon who came got appendicitis and needed surgery. So what did he do? He performed
surgery on himself, of course! The only help he had was from a driver and a meteorologist,
both just providing Rogozov with his instruments and a mirror so he could see what he was doing.
They used 0.5% novocaine for local anesthesia, and he finished the operation in 2 hours, with
many pauses in between to fight nausea. During the operation he accidentally cut his cecum,
a pouch on the large intestine, but was able to successfully suture it.
9. Triple Amputee This man’s photo is shocking for
a variety of reasons. First and foremost, is the fact that he’s missing three extremities after a
railroad car crushed him. Second, it was only the second successful amputation in the history of the
United States. Lastly, this man is only 32 years old despite looking much older. But then again,
he was most likely past middle age for the time. 8. Vitamin D
Before Flinstone Vitamins, there were ultraviolet light baths that children would take together
to avoid vitamin D deficiency. The human body does not automatically synthesize its own vitamin D,
we have to rely on outside sources, like the sun, to stimulate our bodies to start the process
in the skin. In countries with limited sunlight during winter, this creates vast amounts of
vitamin D deficiency. To battle it, doctors would put people in light baths, especially children,
seen in medical photos from the time. 7. Smoking As a Cure
It wasn’t that long ago that smoking wasn’t seen as being that bad for you.
In fact, if you look at this ad, it was often sold as a cure. Talk about false advertising,
this image sells cigarettes to those with asthma, throat issues, and other problems
that it was probably causing in the first place. To add, a little nugget at the end
tells you it’s not recommended for children under 6! Times sure have changed, haven't they?
6. Cutaneous Porphyria This medical disorder causes blisters, swelling,
necrosis of the skin, and excessive hair growth. Perhaps even weirder, it can cause red-colored
teeth and fingernails, and after exposure to the sun, urine can turn purple or black. For those
privy to mythology, you can probably draw the link to, you guessed it, werewolves. It's believed that
this disease might be responsible for werewolf legends of the past, where a sufferer might have
been confused as a monster, and cast from society. The disease gets its name from the Greek word
“porphura” which means “purple pigment”. 5. A Cosmic Bruise
At first glance, this woman seems to have a common, albeit very big bruise. The woman is
Ann Hodges, and as far as we know, she's the only person in history to be struck by a meteorite;
quite hard it appears. Though unlucky to be hit, I suppose she’s lucky in that she survived. Her
physician, Moody Jacobs, is seen in the photo documenting the bruise for the history books.
4. A Wiener Ambulance Despite what you're probably thinking,
no, it was just a regular ambulance. Albeit, a very barebones and borderline torturous one
compared to today's standards. This was known as a "wiener ambulance." It’s main job was to just
stuff people in like sardines to take to a nearby hospital. Very little to no procedure work could
be done on these horse-drawn carriages. This image in particular was taken in 1881, and showcases
members of the Viennese Voluntary Rescue Society. 3. Fetus In Fetu
This is the photo of an incredibly rare disorder in which one twin becomes connected to the other
(whether internally or externally). In this case, Sanju Bhagat’s twin attached internally while
still in the womb, and he carried them into his 30's. Since he had no placenta, the twin attached
to his own blood supply. The twin did not survive, despite being delivered and severely malformed.
The reason why most of these twins aren’t removed until later in life is because they’re usually
not detected until they’re large like Sanju’s, at first often thought to be cancer or cysts.
2. Stretch Machines The literal lengths people will go to not be
short are shocking. From breaking people’s legs to trying to stretch their necks, it’s unbelievable
how stark of an aversion our society has to short people, specifically to short men. This apparatus
was once said to help you grow several inches. In the photo, Post Office Department Inspector
D. F. Angier (seen on the machine) and Dr. L. F. Kebler, formerly of the FDA,
tried out the device that claimed high success, promising as much as 6 extra inches. Hopefully,
it didn’t get all the way to FDA approval. 1. Proteus Syndrome
Only 200 cases have been confirmed worldwide since the disease was officially discovered in 1979,
though 120 of which are still alive. Joseph Merrick, also known as The Elephant Man,
is probably the story some of us have heard of, who died at the age of 27. An estimated
20% of those with Proteus will die as infants, and, depending on the severity of the condition,
most others will live to their 20's or 30's. The disease causes excessive bone
and skin growth, and frequently produces tumors. The case of the Elephant Man was so popular,
it even fascinated the late Michael Jackson, who reportedly bid over $1 Million for his skeleton.
Thanks for watching! We make no bones about it! We’d love to read your comments about these and
perhaps other strange medical images from history. And we’re not blowing smoke up your backside (yep,
that was a real thing in medical history) when we sincerely say we’d love for you to subscribe,
click the bell, and give this video a like. (What? Yea, it was a real thing. For some
people it was the only way to inflate their ego …. But do not try this at home … Just sayin’)