Driven by extreme nationalism, he sought to ensure Japan’s dominance by mastering the use of biological weapons to devastate its enemies.
Shiro Ishii and the Unimaginable Horrors of Unit 731
Posted by in Horror, Individuals, Modern Category: Horror
Posted by in Horror, Individuals, Modern Clean Hands are a Mother’s Best Friend: Updated
Posted by in Horror, Individuals, Victorians Doctors were performing autopsies, then taking their unwashed hands which contained cadaveric particles, and infecting the women they later assisted in childbirth.
Dearly Departed: Chinese Ghost Weddings and Corpse Brides
Chinese culture is deeply rooted in beliefs surrounding ancestry worship, and one of the more unique traditions is the practice of ghost weddings. This ritual stems from the belief that deceased, unmarried sons are doomed to an eternity of loneliness if their families do not find a bride for them in the afterlife.
In the Trenches with Trench Mouth
Among the many afflictions soldiers grappled with, one particularly notable but less commonly discussed condition was necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (NUG), more widely known as “trench mouth.” This painful and debilitating disease earned its name due to its prevalence among soldiers in the trenches, where poor hygiene and extreme stress took a toll on their oral health.
Pirate Ships and Peg Legs
The life of a pirate was a difficult one. Violence, loneliness, sickness, and exhaustion just came with the territory. Ships did what they could to keep their crews healthy, but the task proved challenging.
A Substitute for Blood: Milk Transfusions
The first milk transfusion was done on a 40-year old patient who was given an injection of 12 ounces.
Electrified Baths and Animated Dead Frog Legs
Posted by in Horror, Individuals, Object Focus He discovered that the legs of dead frogs would twitch and flop about when electricity was applied.
Teething Babies and the Absurd Practice of Gum Lancing
Today, parents dread the period of teething because it brings with it a fussy baby, but at least our understanding of infant health has developed enough over the past decades that we reach for a cold teether rather than a blade.
America’s Longest Graveyard: Death on the Oregon Trail
Posted by in Horror The Oregon Trail is nicknamed the nation’s longest graveyard because there are thought to be about ten graves per mile.
The Cries of the Unheard: Forced Nazi Sterilization
Posted by in Horror, Individuals, Modern The Nazi Party subscribed itself to pseudoscientific ideas regarding genetics in order to push their racial ideologies to the brink of extremism.
The Faces of the Dead: Crafting Death Masks
Posted by in Horror, Modern, Object Focus, Victorians Death masks have the ability to ease death-related anxieties because the people who have already crossed into the eternal unknown look as though they are blissfully slumbering.
Gladiator Blood: A Tonic of Life
The Romans believed that the blood of the young men slain violently in the gladiatorial games had the ability to cure diseases such as epilepsy.
The Putrefied Whale Cure
This since abandoned “cure” involved taking a long soak, but their experience was nothing like a trip to the spa. In fact, I imagine the whole ordeal was rather hot, foul-smelling, and gut-churning.
Chainsaw Babies and symphysiotomies
Posted by in Horror, Object Focus During the late 18th century, the chainsaw was utilized by doctors during complicated childbirths.
Deadly Nightshade and Doe-Eyed Beauties
Posted by in Horror, Quackery, Victorians Victorian ladies found themselves using eye drops containing a rather poisonous ingredient.
The Infamous Dead Body Roadside Attraction
An unidentified man was found dead in a ditch in Sabina, Ohio in the early 1900s. His body would go on to be embalmed and laid out on public display for 40 years in the hopes of uncovering his true identity.
A Crimson Gift: The Rise of Blood Transfusions
After the guns ceased and the dust settled, one of the only triumphs that remained was the expansion of the medical field’s abity to treat the sick and wounded. The knowledge hat was gained in those years of hardship would continue to influence how people are treated today.
The Unlucky Pustule: Small Pox Inoculations and Syphillis
Posted by in Horror, Quackery, Victorians Despite some unexpected side-effects, the overall success of vaccinations throught the war led to more widespread acceptance of inoculation by the general public in the following years.
The Red Market: Illegal Organ Trafficking
Although science has reached far beyond the capabilities of our wildest imaginations, it is still not yet possible for laboratories to perfectly replicate the intricate inner workings of our bodies, forcing us to rely on human donors for the gift of life.
Goat Testicles for Virility: John R. Brinkley
Posted by in Horror, Individuals Between 1917 and the mid-1930s, John Brinkley made a fortune on his “revolutionary” surgical procedure which involved placing goat testicles into men’s scrotums to cure infertility and improve virility. What a BAAAHHH-d idea
Antiquated Antidotes 