It’s interesting to hear the rumours circulating about the Covid vaccines. They are not, some would have us believe, designed to guard against contracting the disease but instead are a ghastly plot to inject control modules into our systems that will make us mere pawns of Microsoft. Huh?
We’re sure medicinal remedies have been questioned for millennia but some of the fad cures of the day have also been adopted with zeal in the hope of finding relief from whatever condition people suffered.
So come with us on a rather bizarre journey through some of the more exotic medicines of previous eras. We’re reasonable sure you won’t be trying any of them soon.
So come with us on a rather bizarre journey through some of the more exotic medicines of previous eras. We’re reasonable sure you won’t be trying any of them soon.
Tapeworm diet
Definitely not for the squeamish, the bizarre fad for tapeworm was a dietary hit in the Victorian era. Ladies seeking bodily perfection would swallow a tapeworm egg pill knowing the critters thrive in intestines and would eat whatever they ate, leading to weight loss. Incredibly, ingesting tapeworm pills for this reason still takes place today.
Definitely not for the squeamish, the bizarre fad for tapeworm was a dietary hit in the Victorian era. Ladies seeking bodily perfection would swallow a tapeworm egg pill knowing the critters thrive in intestines and would eat whatever they ate, leading to weight loss. Incredibly, ingesting tapeworm pills for this reason still takes place today.
Dung ointment
The ancient Egyptians believed excreted animal feces—poo from dogs, cats, gazelles, and donkeys, among other beasts—could treat wounds and keep bad spirits away. |
Goat testicles
Fraudulently claiming to be a physician, John R. Brinkley (1885–1942) became known as the "goat-gland doctor" after declaring he could cure impotence, infertility, and other sexual problems by surgically implanting goat testicles into a man's scrotum. He even advertised his "breakthrough," a boy called Billy, the first goat-gland baby, supposedly conceived by a patient with goat testicles. |
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Sheep liver diagnosis
Physicians in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) diagnosed illness not by inspecting the patient but by examining the livers of sacrificed sheep. At the time, the animal's liver was thought to be the source of human blood, and hence the source of life itself. Certainly solved the problem of crowded waiting-rooms. |
Drinking urine
Back in the day, the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and other ancient cultures thought nothing of sipping on urine for various health, healing, and cosmetic purposes. |
Corpse medicine
Corpse medicine is medical cannibalism. The Romans were enthusiastic exponents of this unsavory practice, and routinely ingested remedies containing human bones, blood and fat as medicine for everything from headaches to epilepsy. The idea obviously caught on because corpse medicine became equally popular in the New World and throughout Europe, peaking in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Corpse medicine is medical cannibalism. The Romans were enthusiastic exponents of this unsavory practice, and routinely ingested remedies containing human bones, blood and fat as medicine for everything from headaches to epilepsy. The idea obviously caught on because corpse medicine became equally popular in the New World and throughout Europe, peaking in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Radium water
An example of radioactive quackery, in other words something improperly promoting radioactivity as a therapy for illnesses, radium water was the energy drink of its day. Except that radium is super toxic and harmful to life! But that didn't stop solutions like Radithor being manufactured. From 1918 to 1928, Radithor was advertised as "A Cure for the Living Dead" and "Perpetual Sunshine," and claimed to cure impotence, among other ills. We’re not so sure it would work on zombies though. |
Bloodletting
Bloodletting was widespread in antiquity, from 460 to 370 BCE. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Arabs, Asians, and, later, medieval Europeans thought the withdrawal of blood from a patient could prevent or cure illness and disease. Migraines and fever were among conditions treated by draining blood out of a vein or artery. |
Leech therapy
Leech therapy went hand in hand with the bloodletting process. It was used as a treatment for nervous system abnormalities, skin diseases, dental problems, and infections. Leech therapy is still in use in modern medicine practices because the little bloodsuckers secrete peptides and proteins that work to prevent blood clots.
Leech therapy went hand in hand with the bloodletting process. It was used as a treatment for nervous system abnormalities, skin diseases, dental problems, and infections. Leech therapy is still in use in modern medicine practices because the little bloodsuckers secrete peptides and proteins that work to prevent blood clots.
Mercury elixir
Ancient Persians, Greeks, and Chinese believed drinking or applying mercury to the skin could extend lifespan. This deadly elixir of life, conjured up by the alchemists of the day, was also used to treat other nasty afflictions, including syphilis, usually with fatal consequences. |
Smoking
We all know smoking kills, right? But back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the damaging effects of nicotine weren't yet discovered or widely accepted, puffing on tobacco was believed to cure a number of ailments, including—don't laugh—asthma! |
Mouse paste
Apparently, toothache and earache could be cured in ancient Egypt with a dab of mouse paste. Dead rodents were routinely mashed into a pulp for treating ailments. The English adopted a similar practice in the 1500s when they started applying rotting rat tissue to unsightly warts. |
Trepaning
Trepaning is a surgical intervention in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the human skull. It was used as far back as 7,000 years ago by ancient cultures to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases or to release pressured blood buildup from an injury. Incredibly, this shocking practice was still finding favor into the 1900s. |
Maggot therapy
Place a cup of maggots into the non-healing skin and soft tissue wounds of a human and they'll gobble up the gangrene with delight. Yep, fly larvae only eat dying tissue. Written records have documented that maggots have been used since antiquity as a wound treatment. The procedure came to prominence during the American Civil War, and has been used on occasion ever since. |
Weird bruise cure
We admit that this ancient Chinese treatment is probably more fun to read about than to use. You need two things: a U.S. silver coin (dimes, quarters, and half dollars minted before 1964 are mostly silver) and a peeled, freshly hard-boiled egg. Slip the coin vertically all the way into the egg until its top edge is even with the top of the egg. Place the warm (not hot) egg on the bruise and leave it there for 30 minutes. This is said to immediately erase the discoloration. |
Hemiglossectomy
The medical definition of hemiglossectomy is the surgical excision of one lateral half of the tongue. Back in the mid-1800s, it meant the partial removal of a patient's tongue—to cure stuttering! Furthermore, this cruel and barbaric procedure was often performed without anesthesia.
The medical definition of hemiglossectomy is the surgical excision of one lateral half of the tongue. Back in the mid-1800s, it meant the partial removal of a patient's tongue—to cure stuttering! Furthermore, this cruel and barbaric procedure was often performed without anesthesia.
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Dried toad to combat asthma
Mid-1800 quack cures included treating asthma with dried toad. Crushed into powder and made into small pills, the remedy was supposed to cure the dry and convulsive form of the condition. Heroin
Heroin was first made in 1874 from morphine in an attempt to produce a substance less potent and less addictive. Unfortunately, the chemists got the formula wrong. Commonly prescribed in the late 19th century as a cure for coughs, back pain, and insomnia, this "non-addictive morphine substitute" quickly became one of the most destructive substances ever introduced into society. |
Soothing syrup
Produced as a cure-all for fussy babies in the mid-1800s, one drop of this serum was advertised as enough to pacify even the most troublesome of infants. And no wonder! The syrup contained codeine, opium, and heroin. A teaspoonful was enough to kill a child outright. |
Lobotomy
Mental illness has baffled medics and scientists for millennia. But in the early 20th century, a procedure known as a lobotomy was heralded as a breakthrough in further understanding the vagaries of the human mind. During a lobotomy, the nerve pathways in the lobes of the brain are severed. Few patients experienced any symptomatic improvement after undergoing the operation. Eventually, lobotomy was recognized for what it really is–an invasive and barbaric procedure–and rightly disparaged and condemned.
Mental illness has baffled medics and scientists for millennia. But in the early 20th century, a procedure known as a lobotomy was heralded as a breakthrough in further understanding the vagaries of the human mind. During a lobotomy, the nerve pathways in the lobes of the brain are severed. Few patients experienced any symptomatic improvement after undergoing the operation. Eventually, lobotomy was recognized for what it really is–an invasive and barbaric procedure–and rightly disparaged and condemned.
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Protein for gout
Some 18th-century doctors believed that gout in the foot or hand could be cured by applying a raw, lean beefsteak to the limb. It was recommended the steak be changed every 12 hours or so. |
Shingles repeller
We dug this shingles prevention strategy up from a tome on old healing folklore, but naturally, we don’t give it much credence: As legend has it, hanging a turpentine-soaked string around your neck will keep shingles attacks at bay. |
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine was discovered in 1893 and soon became a substance of choice to treat a variety of ailments, including narcolepsy and asthma. But it later found favor as a treatment for weight loss. In the 1950s, Obetrol was marketed as a remedy for obesity. Highly addictive, methamphetamine can induce psychosis, breakdown of skeletal muscle, seizures, and bleeding in the brain.
Methamphetamine was discovered in 1893 and soon became a substance of choice to treat a variety of ailments, including narcolepsy and asthma. But it later found favor as a treatment for weight loss. In the 1950s, Obetrol was marketed as a remedy for obesity. Highly addictive, methamphetamine can induce psychosis, breakdown of skeletal muscle, seizures, and bleeding in the brain.
Fart sniffing
Desperate times call for desperate measures. When the Black Death was ravaging London in the 1600s, physicians turned to bodily fumes. Experts claimed potent gas could counteract plague exposure, so residents either huffed farts from jars, or kept a stinky animal inside their home. Considering the widespread devastation of the Bubonic plague, it’s safe to say this one didn’t work.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. When the Black Death was ravaging London in the 1600s, physicians turned to bodily fumes. Experts claimed potent gas could counteract plague exposure, so residents either huffed farts from jars, or kept a stinky animal inside their home. Considering the widespread devastation of the Bubonic plague, it’s safe to say this one didn’t work.
"Powder of sympathy"
We have one Sir Kenelm Digby (1603–1665) to thank for the "powder of sympathy," a form of sympathetic medicine that the Englishman hoped would cure a very specific injury: sword wounds. His wacky solution was to grind earthworms, pigs' brains, iron oxide (rust), and bits of mummified corpses into a powder. But here's the rub: the powder was applied not to the wound itself but to the offending weapon. Digby surmised that the strange concoction would somehow encourage the wound itself to heal—via a process he called "sympathetic magic."
We have one Sir Kenelm Digby (1603–1665) to thank for the "powder of sympathy," a form of sympathetic medicine that the Englishman hoped would cure a very specific injury: sword wounds. His wacky solution was to grind earthworms, pigs' brains, iron oxide (rust), and bits of mummified corpses into a powder. But here's the rub: the powder was applied not to the wound itself but to the offending weapon. Digby surmised that the strange concoction would somehow encourage the wound itself to heal—via a process he called "sympathetic magic."
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Arsenic
Arsenic is one of history's oldest medicines, even though its toxic properties are well known. The chemical was being used right up to the 20th century to treat a number of diseases, including syphilis and some cancers. No wonder pharmacists of the day claimed no responsibility for dosages. |
Vin Mariani
1863, a wine said to restore health, strength, energy, and vitality was introduced. The potent tipple was widely endorsed by celebrities of the age, and even the Pope admitted to a glass or two. And why was it so popular? Cocaine, that's why. The drink contained 7.2 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce of wine. |
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Infant diarrhea helper
Though we absolutely don’t recommend this treatment for treating an infant’s diarrhea, we do find it fascinating and would love to know what inspired its creation. We offer it up strictly in the interest of history: Cut the lining from a chicken gizzard and let it dry. Then put it in boiling water to make a tea. Give 1 teaspoonful to your baby every half hour. |
Plombage
Who would deliberately collapse a lung in order to treat tuberculosis? Well, that's exactly what they did before the introduction of effective medicines. The procedure is known as plomage, and was widely practiced by physicians from the 1930s to the 1950s. Side effects included hemorrhage and infection. |
Tobacco smoke enema
Some misguided physician in the 18th century came up with the notion that inducing a tobacco smoke enema could help those suffering from headaches, respiratory failure, colds, or abdominal cramps. It was believed that nicotine could stimulate a patient's adrenal glands, produce adrenaline, and revive them. The idea eventually went up in a puff of smoke.
Some misguided physician in the 18th century came up with the notion that inducing a tobacco smoke enema could help those suffering from headaches, respiratory failure, colds, or abdominal cramps. It was believed that nicotine could stimulate a patient's adrenal glands, produce adrenaline, and revive them. The idea eventually went up in a puff of smoke.
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Smelly acne remedies
Early American settlers had some pretty strange notions when it came to eradicating acne. One involved the application of urine to the outbreaks. Another called for using the water that collected in old tree stumps to bathe pimpled skin. Needless to say, neither has been studied, and neither is worth trying. |
Cure for nose bleeds
Among the more bizarre cures for treating nose bleeds was a 1740 remedy whereby the patient could either eat raisins every day or opt for snorting or drinking vinegar. |
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Induced vomiting
The cure-all method to alleviate a host of maladies was to vomit, so recommended the 18th-century English evangelist John Wesley. He suggested applying a large sliced onion to the pit of the stomach, in other words ingesting it, as a way of inducing a fit of vomiting. Cure for boils: Let the dead heal the living
This old English remedy, gets our vote for strangest of them all. Apply a poultice to the boil. When you remove the poultice, place it in a corpse-containing coffin. Theory was, the boils would leave you and pass on to the dead person, where they could do no harm. |
Snake oil
Ancient Chinese medicine did indeed include genuine snake oil among its cures. But by the mid-19th century in the United States, snake oil had become a euphemism for deceptive marketing. Dishonest peddlers were selling snake oil liniment, in fact nothing more than mineral oil mixed with a few active and inactive herbs and with no healing properties whatsoever. |
Rattlesnake for rheumatism
An old cure for “rheumatism” was to kill a rattlesnake before it had a chance to strike (always a good idea), skin it, dry it, and then put the remains in a jug of corn whiskey. Then, drink the whiskey. No surprise: There’s no science to support this (and it’s a little too dangerous to recommend). But there have been studies at Israel’s Shulov Institute for Science looking at the possibility that snake venom, with toxins removed, could become a potential remedy for arthritis. Venom contains certain peptides — a molecule containing amino acids — that can turn off pain signals, which is handy for a reptile that needs to immobilize its prey. Of course, there’s a fine line between momentary paralysis and death, so we don’t want you trying this one at home.
An old cure for “rheumatism” was to kill a rattlesnake before it had a chance to strike (always a good idea), skin it, dry it, and then put the remains in a jug of corn whiskey. Then, drink the whiskey. No surprise: There’s no science to support this (and it’s a little too dangerous to recommend). But there have been studies at Israel’s Shulov Institute for Science looking at the possibility that snake venom, with toxins removed, could become a potential remedy for arthritis. Venom contains certain peptides — a molecule containing amino acids — that can turn off pain signals, which is handy for a reptile that needs to immobilize its prey. Of course, there’s a fine line between momentary paralysis and death, so we don’t want you trying this one at home.
Earache cures we can do without
These cures should be labeled “weird, wacky and disgusting.” The first, mentioned in several compilations of old home remedies, calls for putting drops of urine in the affected ear. It’s even been written that Elvis Presley’s mother relied on this creepy remedy whenever The King had a childhood earache.
Another gross-sounding trick was to stuff the painful ear with a moist wad of chewing tobacco — or even to blow tobacco smoke into the ear. Thanks, but we’ll pass on all of these. There’s no known science to support any of them.
These cures should be labeled “weird, wacky and disgusting.” The first, mentioned in several compilations of old home remedies, calls for putting drops of urine in the affected ear. It’s even been written that Elvis Presley’s mother relied on this creepy remedy whenever The King had a childhood earache.
Another gross-sounding trick was to stuff the painful ear with a moist wad of chewing tobacco — or even to blow tobacco smoke into the ear. Thanks, but we’ll pass on all of these. There’s no known science to support any of them.
Putting dirty socks to good use
From Merry Olde England spring some mighty strange sore throat remedies. One–which was actually used widely until the 20th century–called for wrapping your own dirty socks around your throat. Our guess? Since sore throats are so contagious, and in the olden days a signal of potentially lethal diseases, the dirty socks were used to keep loved ones as far away as possible from the patient. But that’s just a guess. Another English treatment involved wrapping bacon around the throat before bedtime. Finally, we couldn’t resist passing along this Irish gem: To heal a sore throat, simply apply salt herring to the soles of the feet.
From Merry Olde England spring some mighty strange sore throat remedies. One–which was actually used widely until the 20th century–called for wrapping your own dirty socks around your throat. Our guess? Since sore throats are so contagious, and in the olden days a signal of potentially lethal diseases, the dirty socks were used to keep loved ones as far away as possible from the patient. But that’s just a guess. Another English treatment involved wrapping bacon around the throat before bedtime. Finally, we couldn’t resist passing along this Irish gem: To heal a sore throat, simply apply salt herring to the soles of the feet.
