Strangest Medical Treatments In History

Strangest Medical Treatments In History

While some of these treatments are still practiced today, they way medical issues were handled in the past will make you glad you are alive in the 21st century.

Heroine

In the late 1800s heroine was marketed as a remedy for coughs, colds, and pain.

Soothing Syrup

A remedy known as Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup became popular in the late 1800s to help children get through the teething process. The main issue with the syrup though was its two main ingredients – morphine and alcohol.

Leeches

Often used to let out “bad blood”, these days the practice of leeching has made somewhat of a comeback in the arena of organ reconstruction and microsurgery.

Shark Cartilage

It was the 1950s when the sharks-don’t-get-cancer-so-lets-all-eat-shark-cartilage craze took off.

Dog poop

At one point in time the home remedy for sore throats was album graecum, or dried dog dung.

Tongue Cutting

Also known as hemiglossectomy doctors in the 18th and 19th tried to cure stuttering by cutting of large chunks of their patients tongues. This is actually still practiced today for treatment of oral cancer.

Powder of Sympathy

Of all the crazy medicines in the 17th century this one probably took the cake. Intended as a treatment for sword wounds it was made of earthworms, pig brains, rust, and mummified corpses all ground into powder.

Dead mouse paste

In ancient Egypt if you had a toothache then mashed mice mixed with other ingredients were typically applied to the spot.

Crystal Meth

Apparently this was Hitler’s medication of choice. His doctor would inject his buttocks with meth laced vitamins to keep him feeling “fresh, alert, and active”.

Moldy Bread

Used to disinfect cuts since the days of ancient Egypt there is some merit to this. As was eventually discovered, certain fungi can actually block disease causing bacteria.