Medical Procedures We Used To Think Were A Good Idea
Procedures from the past that Doctors actually used to perform.
Published 11 years ago in People & Lifestyle
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PLAGUE DOCTORS: Well into the 1800s, these terrifying plague doctors were often called in to treat outbreaks of the bubonic plague. To protect themselves, they wore creepy masks with long beaks and then filled them with flowers, believing that disease was spread through smell. Their treatments included lashings because the plague was often seen as a punishment from God and bleeding the patient dry with leeches.
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HEMORRHOID FORCEPS: If you suffered from hemorrhoids in the past, you had to put up with it. Unless, they got so bad that you couldnt suffer them any longer. This lovely tool would tightly grasp and crush external hemorrhoids to restrict blood flow and cause them to fall off. Internal hemorrhoids would be pulled out by a hook, naturally.
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EARLY WHEELCHAIRS: Dr Clarks Spinal Apparatus was advertised in 1878 as allowing people with spinal issues to walk for a few minutes or even hours a day. In actuality, the wooden frame on this terrifying device was so heavy that a medically fit person could barely move an inch, let alone those with spinal issues.
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The Curative Powers of Mercury: Mercury was used to treat pretty much anything and everything. Scraped your knee? Just rub a little mercury on it. Having some problems with regularity? Forget fiber, time to get some mercury up in there! If you lived more than 100 years ago, you simply weren't considered healthy if you weren't leaking silver from at least one orifice.
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