Medicine in a Historical Context

Trepanning

Trepanation, also known as trepanning, is one of humanity’s oldest forms of surgery and also one of its most gruesome.

The Wandering Womb and Female Hysteria

The condition has its roots in ancient medical theories about “wandering wombs,” where a displaced uterus caused women’s health problems

The Scarificator

Physicians believed that many illnesses were caused by an imbalance of bodily fluids, and bloodletting was thought to restore this balance.

Radioactive Cereals

In the 1940s, the MIT and Quaker Oats tests conducted a series of experiments involving the consumption of radioactive cereals by children.

Electropathic Belt

These new devices produced electric discharges and were supposed to cure everything from liver disease to hernias.
 One of those devices was The Electropathic Sex Belt

Leech Collector

An old profession that has largely disappeared is that of leech collector, sometimes called leech gatherer or leech finder.

Tarrare

Tarrare was a mysterious French man who was known for his extreme appetite, bizarre eating habits, and an unknown medical condition that caused him to consume inedible objects.

The Blue Family of Kentucky

In an isolated area of Kentucky’s countryside known as Troublesome Creek, there lived a real family with blue skin.

The Clyster Syringe

Enemas, also known as clysters, have a fascinating history dating back to ancient times. The Egyptians were among the first to employ them.

Bayer Infected People with AIDS

In 1978, Bayer acquired Cutter Laboratories, and through this company, it became embroiled in the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Juliana Anicia Codex

The manuscript was created in the early 6th century and is one the most important pharmacological treatises of the work of ancient Greek authors to survive from late antiquity

The Ecraseur

The concept of using a constricting device to achieve castration or remove unwanted growth dates back to ancient times.