5 most shocking treatments from the past

The oldest principle of medical ethics is do no harm.It is believed that the ancient Greek healer Hippocrates, who lived from 460 to 370 BC, was the first to introduce it into medicine. However, official medicine began to truly adhere to this rule only in the 20th century. Up to this point, apparently, the doctors did not really care what would happen to the patient after the application of certain methods of treatment. Many ancient medical practices, at best, did not have any positive effect, and at worst, they negatively affected health and even led to death of people. When introduced to some of these medical beliefs of the past, the question involuntarily arises - how did our ancestors even think of such a thing? To give you an idea of ​​just how bad things used to be in medicine, here are five treatments and medical beliefs that are sure to shock you.

Some ancient healing methods are shocking in their absurdity

Content

• 1 Ancient medicines
• 2 Phlebotomy (bleeding)
• 3 Prevention with own gases
• 4 Tobacco enema
• 5 Mrs. Winslow's Calming Syrup

ancient medicines

Many probably remember from children's fairy tales andcartoons like a witch or Baba Yaga brews a potion. What is there just not there - frog legs, dead mice, powder from dried insects and much more. And as you know, "a fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it." But in this case, we are not even talking about a hint, but the very exact recipe for ancient medicines.

It is known that such drugs for “treatment”began to be used in ancient Egypt. The recipe was the same - the composition of the “healing agents” could include lizard blood, mold, dirt and other components unsuitable for consumption, up to animal excrement. Subsequently, the Europeans went even further - they decided that the ancient Egyptians themselves had healing properties, as a result of which they began to create medicines from them, or rather from mummies.

Bloodletting was popular until the 19th century

Phlebotomy (bleeding)

This method of treatment is striking in howancient doctors could be very mistaken, or rather, believe in absolutely non-scientific myths and unsubstantiated myths. Hippocrates and Galen believed that the human body contains four basic substances, one of which is blood. Moreover, these substances must be balanced, otherwise the person will get sick.

As a result, people with various diseases,ranging from malaise to fever, ancient physicians diagnosed an abundance of blood. Therefore, to restore harmony, “excess blood” was drained. But the most striking thing is that phlebotomy continued to be used until the 19th century. As you can see, even Hippocrates himself was not averse to breaking his own “do no harm” rule.

Prevention with own gases

It's hard to believe, but in the middle of the 17th century,During the Great Plague of London, doctors advised people to breathe their gases. To do this, it was necessary to fart into a jar and close it tightly, so that later it was possible to perform a smelly “disinfection” of the air.

The gases collected in a jar, according to doctors of the 19th century, protected from the plague

How could human gases protect againsta disease that has killed over 100,000 people? At that time it was believed that people get plague because of the deadly vapors that are contained in the air. For some reason, the healers decided that unpleasant "fumes" like human gases could clear the air of the fumes that cause sickness. Obviously, they were trying to supplant the other with one.

In general, the essence of the idea was that to protectany stink can from the plague. So some lucky people who could afford goats kept them at home to provide shelter with a protective stink. The rest, who could not afford such a luxury, had to fart into jars.

tobacco enema

This procedure is truly shocking.In the 18th century, when tobacco became especially popular, it began to be used as a medicine. In particular, healing properties began to be attributed even to tobacco smoke. Especially popular in Europe was such a procedure as a tobacco enema, when smoke was blown into a person's rectum.

Initially, an enema was used for resuscitation.a person who has just died. Moreover, tobacco enema was also used instead of artificial respiration to save drowning people. Moreover, the popularity of this procedure was so high that special equipment was installed on the beaches of the Thames for the "rescue procedure", and everyone had to know where it was in order to use it in an emergency.

Until the mid-1950s, tobacco companies advertised cigarettes as a health product recommended by doctors.

Subsequently, European doctors began to prescribe a tobacco enema in general for all diseases, whether it be a cold, cholera, typhoid fever, headaches or anything else.

Mrs. Winslow's syrup is a sedative that has killed many children.

Mrs. Winslow's Calming Syrup

From the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century in BritainMrs. Winslow's soothing syrup was considered an indispensable tool for mothers and nannies. He helped when the child was restless, something hurt him or he simply did not want to sleep. The syrup was advertised under the slogan "calms even an elephant." And the worst thing is that it was true. The syrup really worked flawlessly, because it contained ammonia, morphine and powdered opium.

The syrup advertising campaign was deployed immediatelyon two continents. He was talked about on the radio, written in newspapers and cookbooks. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, this sedative earned a reputation as a “child killer”.

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But the manufacturers went further and changed the composition.The new drug was called "Heroin". It was touted as a safe and non-offensive substitute for morphine. But in fact, the drug turned out to be many times stronger than morphine and caused a strong addiction. Almost immediately it became clear that “sedative2 is not at all harmless, but in this composition it was sold for another 10 years (until the 30s of the last century).

Finally, we note that one ancient method of treatment is used to this day - this is gerudotherapy. What it is and why medicine has not abandoned it, you can read by clicking on the link.