In the long history of medicine, chapters of history are often stranger and more incredible than fiction. From the absurd treatments of ancient times to the precise treatments of modern technology, the history of medicine is full of incredible turning points and innovations. This article will take you through this fantastic journey and explore the real medical history facts that are stranger than the plot of fiction.
The glorious era of absurd treatments
Tobacco: From herb to poison
In 15th-century Mexico, tobacco was used as a laxative, sedative, and wound treatment. Tobacco leaves were ground into powder and swallowed to relieve mucus accumulation in the throat. By the 16th century, Spanish doctor Monadez even believed that tobacco could treat up to 20 diseases, including cancer. This absurd view was widely accepted at the time, even though modern medicine has clearly proven that smoking is closely related to a variety of diseases such as cancer, emphysema, and heart disease.
Leech therapy: sucking blood to cure diseases
Leech therapy can be traced back to China more than 2,000 years ago and reached its peak in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, doctors believed that leeches sucking blood could treat a variety of diseases from obesity to asthma. In the absence of modern medical knowledge, this seemingly ridiculous treatment method was widely used. Leeches were placed on the patient’s temples, behind the ears, abdomen and even reproductive organs to “suck blood to cure diseases.”
Trepanation: drilling holes in the skull
Trapped is an ancient treatment method that dates back to at least the Neolithic Age. Doctors would drill a hole in the patient’s skull to treat epilepsy, mental illness and headaches. This operation was not only cruel and dangerous, but it was considered an effective treatment at the time. Although modern medicine has abandoned this treatment, it did exist in history and affected the fate of countless people.