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.
Tag: Medical History
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.
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.
Lili’s Right to Life: The Birth of Lili Elbe
Posted by in Individuals, Mental Health, Modern Lili Elbe, born as Einar Wegener, became one of the first people to undergo experimental gender reassignment surgery
The Thomas Splint
Posted by in Modern, Object Focus The Thomas splint revolutionized emergency medicine during World War I. This device diminished the mortality rate of femoral fractures from 80% to 20%.
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
Surgery Without Anesthesia: Babies Can’t Feel Pain?
Prior to the 1980s, many medical professionals believed that babies could not feel pain, therefore, medical procedures performed on infants took place without the use of anesthesia.
Images from the Dissection Room
Posted by in Horror, Modern, Uncategorized At first glance, these images from a bygone time are gruesome and jarring. Dismantled corpses with a thousand-yard stare looking past the camera while groups of men and women gathered around with tools in their hands, pipes in their mouths, and open anatomy books.
The Colorado Brown Stain: Fluorosis
Posted by in Individuals, Modern Let’s talk about how the brown stains on the teeth of Colorado Springs residents helped reform cavity prevention.
Performing a Cesarean Section on His Own Wife: Dr. Jesse Bennett
Posted by in Horror, Individuals Historically, most c-sections were performed for one main purpose, to save the baby. Mothers were expected to die from shock or complications resulting from infection.
Excavating Bladder Stones with Knitting Needles
Posted by in Horror, Individuals The Lithotomy was described as far back as the 1st century A.D. by Greek physicians. The procedure only required three main tools, the knife, a hook, and a pair of forceps.
Spectacles of the Real: Public Morgues
Morgues or mortuaries are used today as storage sites for our corpses, keeping them as fresh as possible until disposal. Less commonly known though is the origins behind the word. The word comes from the French word, morguer, which means “to stare”.
Judging a Book by its Cover: Anthropodermic Bibliopegy
Posted by in Horror Quite a few medical books exist that are bound in human skin. This makes sense since doctors would have had regular access to skin from deceased patients.
Remembering the Merit of Women: Elizabeth Thorn
Posted by in Individuals, Series While the battle raged on around them, many of the women living in Gettysburg in 1863 left their cellars and found ways to courageously serve humanity.
Killer Wallpaper: A Green to Die For
Posted by in Horror, Object Focus The Victorians did not shy away from bright colors and patterns in their homes, and they were certainly unaware that some of those home design choices could cost them their lives.
The Virginia Quickstep: Diarrhea and Dysentery in the Civil War
Records are imperfect, and most Confederate records destroyed, it is estimated that 44,500 Union soldiers died of either diarrhea or dysentery.
Antiquated Antidotes 