English: Bizarre medical practices and treatments: [13,422]

The history of medicine is filled with stories of strange tonics, outlandish remedies, and curious "cures."  Have you ever considered the fact that you were ill because there was too much blood in your body? How about curing yourself by drilling a hole in your skull to let evil spirits out? These questions may sound far-fetched to you, but there are those who believed- and, though far fewer—who still believe in these causes and treatments for certain health conditions. Medicine has come a long way over the years, but some things have not changed. Here are nine strange but true medical practices that will leave you shocked, especially when you learn that many of them are still in use today.

Animal dung ointments
The ancient Egyptians had a remarkably well-organized medical system, complete with doctors who specialized in healing specific ailments. Nevertheless, the cures they prescribed weren’t always up to snuff. Lizard blood, dead mice, mud and moldy bread were all used as topical ointments and dressings, and women were sometimes dosed with horse saliva as a cure for an impaired libido. Most disgusting of all, Egyptian physicians used human and animal excrement as a cure-all remedy for diseases and injuries. According to 1500 B.C.’s Ebers Papyrus, donkey, dog, gazelle and fly dung were all celebrated for their healing properties and their ability to ward off bad spirits. While these repugnant remedies may have occasionally led to tetanus and other infections, they probably weren’t entirely ineffective—research shows the microflora found in some types of animal dung contain antibiotic substances.

Arsenic
Arsenic may be a well-known poison, but for centuries it was used as a medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, arsenic is known as Pi Shuang. Arsenic was a key ingredient in many patent medicines, including Fowler's Solution, a purported cure for malaria and syphilis in use from the late 18th century until the 1950s. Another arsenic-containing patent medicine, Donovan's Solution, was used to treat arthritis and diabetes. Victorian women also used arsenic as a cosmetic.

Babylonian skull cure
For the ancient Babylonians, most illnesses were thought to be the result of demonic forces or punishment by the gods for past misdeeds. Doctors often had more in common with priests and exorcists than modern physicians, and their cures usually involved some component of magic. For example, if a patient ground their teeth, the healer might suspect that the ghost of a deceased family member was trying to contact them as they slept. According to ancient necromantic texts, the doctor would recommend sleeping by a human skull for a week as a way of exorcising the spirit. To ensure this disturbing treatment worked, the tooth-grinder was also instructed to kiss and lick the skull seven times each night.

Bloodletting.
1. This was a particularly common practice in ancient times all the way up until the late 19th century. The process involves the removal of rather large amounts of blood due to the belief that this will cure or prevent the patient from a variety of illnesses. Bloodletting has not been proven efficient and, in modern times, has been discarded in all but a few specific conditions. The logic of bloodletting was based on the theory of the four humours. This theory described a mystical equilibrium between several bodily fluids which maintain human life, and would be disturbed by too much blood—resulting in illness. Today, the term for drawing blood for laboratory analysis or blood transfusion is "phlebotomy."
2. For thousands of years, medical practitioners clung to the belief that sickness was merely the result of a little “bad blood.” Bloodletting probably began with the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians, but it didn’t become common practice until the time of classical Greece and Rome. Influential physicians like Hippocrates and Galen maintained that the human body was filled with four basic substances, or “humors”—yellow bile, black bile, phlegm and blood—and these needed to be kept in balance to maintain proper health. With this in mind, patients with a fever or other ailment were often diagnosed with an overabundance of blood. To restore bodily harmony, their doctor would simply cut open a vein and drain some of their vital fluids into a receptacle. In some cases, leeches were even used to suck the blood directly from the skin. While it could easily result in accidental death from blood loss, phlebotomy endured as a common medical practice well into the 19th century. Medieval doctors prescribed blood draining as a treatment for everything from a sore throat to the plague, and some barbers listed it as a service along with haircuts and shaves. The practice finally fell out of vogue after new research showed that it might be doing more harm than good, but leeching and controlled bloodletting are still used today as treatments for certain rare illnesses.

Cannibal cures
Suffering from persistent headaches, muscle cramps or stomach ulcers? Once upon a time, your local physician may have prescribed an elixir containing human flesh, blood or bone. So-called “corpse medicine” was a disturbingly common practice for hundreds of years. The Romans believed that the blood of fallen gladiators could cure epilepsy, and 12th century apothecaries were known for keeping a stock of “mummy powder”—a macabre extract made from ground up mummies looted from Egypt. Meanwhile, in 17th century England, King Charles II was known for enjoying a draught of “King’s Drops,” a restorative brew made from crumbled human skull and alcohol. These cannibalistic medicines were thought to have magical properties. By consuming the remains of a deceased person, the patient also ingested part of their spirit, leading to increased vitality and wellbeing. The type of cure prescribed usually corresponded to the type of ailment—skull was used for migraines, and human fat for muscle aches—but getting fresh stock could be a gruesome process. In some cases, the sickly would even attend executions in the hope of getting a cheap cup of the freshly killed person’s blood.

Clysters
Clysters - the archaic word for enemas - are thought to have been used since ancient times. They were particularly fashionable from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Wealthy people used them to treat constipation (which enemas can help) as well as a variety of other complaints, for which they are useless. A typical clyster might contain warm water mixed with salt, baking soda, or soap. Some doctors added coffee, bran, herbs, honey, or chamomile to the mix. In high society, enemas became enormously popular, with aristocratic hypochondriacs taking several scented enemas a day. During his time on the throne, Louis XIV of France is said to have had more than 2,000 enemas. 

Crocodile dung
Think condoms are a drag? In ancient Egypt, the contraceptive of choice was crocodile dung. Dried dung was inserted into the vagina, the idea being that it would soften as it reached body temperature to form an impenetrable barrier. Other contraceptive "pessaries" used back in the day included tree sap, lemon halves, cotton, wool, sea sponges, and elephant dung.

Crystal meth
Hitler was a hypochondriac. His doctor injected his buttocks with vitamins - sometimes laced with methamphetamine, a.k.a. crystal meth. As one observer remarked, the injections helped keep Hitler "fresh, alert, active, and immediately ready for the day...cheerful, talkative, physically active and tending to stay awake long hours into the night." Albert Speer considered the Furher's crystal meth addiction one reason for his rigid tactics in the later stages of World War II, when he would refuse to allow troops to retreat even under the most dire circumstances.

Dead mouse paste
Who'd put a dead mouse in the mouth? Ancient Egyptians did, with the hope that doing so would ease toothache pain. In some cases, mashed mouse was blended with other ingredients, and the resulting poultice was applied to the painful spot. Egyptians weren't the only ones big on mouse cures. In Elizabethan England, one remedy for warts was to cut a mouse in half and apply it to the offending spot. (The Elizabethans also ate mice - fried or baked in pies.) Mice were also used to treat whooping cough, measles, smallpox, and bed-wetting.

Farts in a jar
In the Middle Ages, some doctors believed "like cures like." So when confronted by the Black Death - thought to be caused by deadly vapors - they were convinced that the key to fighting the disease was to use a bit of "therapeutic stink." Some urged people to keep goats in the home. Others recommended flatulence stored in jars. Each time the deadly pestilence appeared in the neighborhood, people were to open the jars and take a whiff. Sounds funny now, but the plague was no joke. Between 1348 and 1350, it killed 30 to 60 percent of Europe's population. These jars didn't help.

Fire cupping.
This technique is exactly what it sounds like. A vacuum is created by air heated by fire that's put in a glass cup and placed against a patient's skin. The cups are bell shaped and hold about 4 fluid ounces. Usually, 8 to 12 cups are placed on the patient's back in two parallel columns. Circular marks are left on the patient's back—the darkness varies directly with how long the cups are left on. Usually, an application of about 20 minutes is average, for the back; however this can vary. So, what is it for exactly? According to the American Cancer Society, this practice of Chinese medicine is "recommended mainly for treating bronchial congestion, arthritis, and pain. It is also promoted to ease depression and reduce swelling." Yet, the society states, "Available scientific evidence does not support claims that cupping has any health benefits."

Goat testicles
In the early 1900s, John Brinkley became one of the richest doctors in America, despite having no medical qualifications. He claimed he could cure impotence, infertility, and other sexual problems by surgically implanting goat testicles into a man's scrotum. The surgery had no scientific merit and was extremely dangerous. Many patients died.

Hemiglossectomy
What's the best treatment for stuttering? Doctors in the 18th and 19th centuries often cut off half the stutter's tongue. Hemiglossectomy is still used today, but as a treatment for oral cancer. And now it's done under general anesthesia, which wasn't the case back in the day. And pain was only one problem. The treatment didn't work, and some patients bled to death.

Hirudotherapy.
This technique, which utilizes leeches, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004. Along with maggots, leeches were some of the first live animals to earn the FDA's approval. For healthy people, the idea of coming near these creatures seems pretty grotesque, but for patients who are ill, the results are well worth it. Leeches have been capable of restoring healthy tissue when more high-tech medicine could not. Medicinal leeches have been used for bloodletting—thought to be beneficial for whatever ailed patients—from Hippocrates' time through the mid-19th century. Currently, leeches are applied to the necessary site, from which they suck the excess blood and reduce the swelling in the tissues, promoting healing by allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to reach the area. The leeches also secrete an anticoagulant (known as hirudin) that prevents the clotting of the blood. The leech's saliva is thought to be beneficial as well, providing a local anesthetic that the leech uses to avoid detection by the host. The leech's gut also holds a bacterium known as Aeromonan hydrophila, which helps in the digestion of ingested blood and produces an antibiotic that kills other potentially dangerous bacteria.

Insulin coma therapy.
In 1927, Viennese physician Manfred Sakel accidentally gave one of his diabetic patients an insulin overdose, which sent her into a coma. Upon waking, the woman, who happened to be a drug addict, claimed that her morphine craving was suddenly gone. When this mistake occurred again, with the same curative result, Sakel developed an idea. Soon, he began intentionally testing what became known as insulin coma therapy on drug addicts and patients who suffered from schizophrenia and psychosis. He reported a 90 percent recovery rate, particularly among the schizophrenics. Some experts believe that the hefty dose of insulin causes blood sugar levels to plummet, which starves the brain of food and sends the patient into a coma. But why this would enable recovery for drug addicts or psychiatric patients is still not clear. Mathematician and inspiration for the film A Beautiful Mind, John Nash was actually a recipient of insulin coma therapy as a treatment for his schizophrenia. Either way, the therapy was deemed dangerous—causing death in one to two percent of patients--and eventually eradicated.

Laughter therapy.
We've all heard the expression, "Laughter is the best medicine," but is there really any truth in it? Many people believe there is. The practice of laughter therapy, also called humor therapy, is the idea of using humor to promote overall health and wellness. For years, the use of humor has been used in medicine (as early as the 13th century, surgeons used humor to distract patients from pain), and emerging research is showing that laughter may actually have therapeutic value. In his 1979 book, Anatomy of an Illness, a man named Norman Cousins claimed to have cured himself of a serious illness with a regimen of laughter and vitamins after years of pain. This brought more attention to the idea of laughter as a source of treatment. Medical journals have recognized that laughter therapy can help improve quality of life for patients with unremitting illnesses. In addition, many hospitals provide laughter therapy programs as a complementary treatment to illness.


Maggot debridement therapy (MDT).
Maggots have shown to be quite efficient in the art of healing wounds. This was first visible centuries ago when wounded soldiers whose injuries were maggot-infested healed better than those whose were not. These maggots actually consume the dead tissue and leave the healthy, living tissues alone. Maggots also expel matter which restrains or even kills bacteria, proving especially useful in areas with poor circulation where antibiotics would be of little benefit. Since the 16th century up until the 1940s, when antibiotic therapy and surgical techniques replaced it, the use of maggots was used and recognized for its healing abilities. In 1989, the advantage of MDT in certain cases over antibiotics was realized when maggots were proven to be more competent cleaners of wounds than any other non-surgical treatment. In 2004, maggots were approved by the FDA.

Malaria therapy.
No, this isn't therapy used to treat malaria. Instead, this was the idea of using malaria as therapy—more specifically, as a treatment for syphilis. Until the early 1900s, there was no treatment for the sexually transmitted disease (STD) when Viennese neurologist Wagner-Jauregg had the idea to treat syphilis patients with malaria-infected blood. The patients would then develop malaria, which would cause an extremely high fever that would destroy the syphilis bacteria. When that happened, they would be treated with the malaria drug quinine and cured of both ailments. Of course, there were the side effects--such as the high fever, but they were worth the outcome, especially without any other options. Wagner-Jauregg even won the Nobel Prize for malaria inoculation in 1927, and the treatment was common until the development of penicillin came along and doctors had a safer and more efficient cure for the STD.

Mercury
Mercury is notorious for its toxic properties, but it was once used as a common elixir and topical medicine. The ancient Persians and Greeks considered it a useful ointment, and second-century Chinese alchemists prized liquid mercury, or “quicksilver,” and red mercury sulfide for their supposed ability to increase lifespan and vitality. Some healers even promised that by consuming noxious brews containing poisonous mercury, sulfur and arsenic, their patients would gain eternal life and the ability to walk on water. One of the most famous casualties of this diet was the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who supposedly died after ingesting mercury pills designed to make him immortal. From the Renaissance until the early 20th century, Mercury was also used as a popular medicine for sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis. While some accounts claimed the heavy metal treatment was successful in fighting off the infection, patients often died from liver and kidney damage caused by mercury poisoning.

Moldy bread
Moldy bread has been used to disinfect cuts as far back as ancient Egypt. But what might sound crazy makes some sense. As Louis Pasteur famously discovered, certain fungi are known to block the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Think of penicillin.

Paraffin wax
Today, doctors use Botox and collagen to rejuvenate faces. Back in the 19th century, some doctors used injections of paraffin to smooth out wrinkles. Paraffin was also injected into women's breasts, in an early attempt at breast augmentation. But the practice fell out of favor - and for good reason. It caused formation of hard, painful lumps known as paraffinomas.

Powder of sympathy
Seventeenth century medicine can seem a bit crazy to modern people, but perhaps nothing seems wackier than Sir Kenelm Digby's "Powder Of Sympathy." The powder was intended as a treatment for a very specific injury: rapier wounds. It was made of earthworms, pigs' brains, iron oxide (rust), and bits of mummified corpses, ground into a powder. The powder was applied not to the wound itself but to the offending weapon. Digby thought that the strange concoction would somehow encourage the wound itself to heal - via a process called "sympathetic magic."

Sheep liver diagnosis
With no blood tests or X-rays, how did ancient healers diagnose illness? In Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), practitioners made judgments not by inspecting the patient but by examining the livers of sacrificed sheep. At the time, the liver was thought to be the source of human blood, and hence the source of life itself. Clay models of sheep livers date back as far as 2050 B.C.

Seizure therapy.
Hungarian pathologist Ladislas von Meduna, who had the idea that seizures could be used to treat schizophrenia, engineered the idea of seizure therapy. Eventually, he found that camphor dissolved in oil worked in both animals and in humans. On January 23, 1934, he tried the injection of camphor oil in a 33-year-old severely catatonic patient. After five treatments, catatonia and psychotic symptoms were gone. Meduna continued this treatment on more patients, and out of 26 patients, he achieved recovery in 10 of them and improvement in three. Eventually, the side effects were too dangerous, including memory loss and broken bones, and seizure therapy was discontinued.

Snake oil
Snake oil hasn't always been a just euphemism for quack medical treatments. For centuries, oil from the Chinese water snake was an actual treatment used in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve joint pain. In fact, it's still used today. Snake oil seems to have been brought to America by Chinese laborers who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad. This was backbreaking work, and the laborers are thought to have rubbed the oil on their aching joints. We know today that snakes are a rich source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) an omega-3 fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties.

Trepanation.
1. This surgery is performed by drilling or scraping a hole into the skull, in order to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases or for mystical purposes. Evidence of this practice has been traced all the way back to Neolithic times onwards. During prehistoric times, trepanation was thought to cure diseases by allowing the evil spirits and demons to escape through the hole that was created in the skull. Trepanation advocates and patrons still exist, believing this is the means to better health and longevity. In modern times, the medical procedure of corneal transplant surgery also uses something known as trepanning or trephining. However, this is
performed on the eye with an instrument called a trephine.
2. Humanity’s oldest form of surgery is also one of its most gruesome. As far back as 7,000 years ago, civilizations around the world engaged in trepanation—the practice of boring holes in the skull as a means of curing illnesses. Researchers can only speculate on how or why this grisly form of brain surgery first developed. A common theory holds that it may have been some form of tribal ritual or even a method for releasing evil spirits believed to possess the sick and mentally ill. Still others argue that it was a more conventional surgery used to treat epilepsy, headaches, abscesses and blood clots. Trepanned skulls found in Peru hint that it was also a common emergency treatment for cleaning out bone fragments left behind by skull fractures, and evidence shows that many of the patients survived the surgery.

Urine diagnosis
In Medieval Europe, doctors often diagnosed their patients on the basis of uroscopy. Sounds scientific, but it really amounted to nothing more than having a look at the patient's urine. In fact, holding a flask of urine against the light was as much a symbol of medicine in medieval times as a white coat and stethoscope are today. Some patients delivered a sample in person, while others simply sent the doc a sample. Doctors would observe the urine's smell, consistency - and even its taste.

Vin mariani
In 1863, Italian chemist Angelo Mariani came up with a healing tonic containing red wine treated with coca leaves. Vin Mariani, as the brew was known, was a hit - perhaps not surprising, as coca leaves contain cocaine. Ads claimed the drink was endorsed by 8,000 doctors and was ideal for "overworked men, delicate women, and sickly children." It was enjoyed by Thomas Edison, Queen Victoria, the Czar of Russia, Pope Saint Pius X, and Pope Leo XIII, who even appeared in an ad for the tonic and awarded it a gold medal. Vin Mariani sold briskly in the U.S., where it helped inspire John S. Pemberton to come up with a similar product. It was called Coca-Cola.

Wandering womb
Ancient Greek doctors believed that a woman’s womb was a separate creature with a mind of its own. According to the writings of Plato and Hippocrates, when a woman was celibate for an extended time, her uterus—described as a “living animal” eager to bear children—could dislodge and glide freely about her body causing suffocation, seizures and hysteria. This curious diagnosis endured in some form into the time of the Romans and Byzantines—well after doctors had learned that the womb was held in place by ligaments. To prevent their wombs from going on walkabout, ancient women were counseled to marry young and bear as many children as possible. For a womb that had already broken free, doctors prescribed therapeutic baths, infusions and physical massages to try to force it back in position. They might even “fumigate” the patient’s head with sulfur and pitch while simultaneously rubbing pleasant-smelling lotions between her thighs —the logic being that the womb would flee from the bad smells and move back into its rightful place.

Doctors are supposed to operate under the maxim “do no harm,” but world history shows that this has sometimes been easier said than done. While the ancients were surprisingly sophisticated in their knowledge of injury, sickness and disease, they often resorted to some downright painful and bloodcurdling methods in their misguided attempts to heal their patients, many of whom failed to survive  “their” proscribed treatment that was often worse than what ailed them in the first place.

- Bird

***