The bone is stretched a small amount each day until the desired height is reached, then the bone is allowed to fuse back together.
The Ilizarov Method: Limb-Lengthening Surgery
Posted by in Modern, Object Focus Tag: Quackery
Posted by in Modern, Object Focus Electric Hair Brushes and Magnetic Cure-Alls
Posted by in Individuals, Object Focus, Quackery George Scott was an English businessman who had no formal medical training whatsoever, yet he made a killing off of several “medical” devices he had invented for home use.
A “Healthy” Glow- A Brief History of Sunless Tanning
Posted by in Modern Some people are simply set on achieving that perfect tan-but at what cost?
Becoming Blue: The Effects of an Overexposure to Silver
Posted by in Individuals, Modern Although argyria is not thought to be fatal, it does have severe cosmetic impacts that can affect a person emotionally and socially.
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.
Romantic Lachrymatory Bottles or Hoax?
Posted by in Object Focus, Victorians The most interesting thing about the myth of tear catchers is that it is totally believable considering that mourning was an outward artistic social expression to the Victorians.
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.
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.
The Aftermath of a Mistake: Wrong-Site Surgery
Posted by in Modern Wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient surgical mishaps, although infrequent, do still occur in the 21st century.
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.
Doctor Got Your Tongue?: Quack Stutter Cure
Posted by in Quackery You may be surprised to discover that the 18th and 19th centuries had a rather barbaric approach to treating a stutter.
Smoking Cigarettes: An Outdated Remedy for Asthma?
Nowadays we are well aware of the dangers involved with smoking. Despite this, cigarettes were once recommended by medical professionals as valid treatments for a variety of complications…including asthma.
“I Need That Like I Need A Hole In The Head!”
Posted by in Mental Health, Quackery (Photo Credit: The Medical Book) Trepanning or trepanation is one of the earliest surgical procedures in history. The word trepanation is Greek for trypanon, meaning to drill or bore (Kang 142). In essence, a hole, or a series of holes, would be cut, drilled, or scraped into a patient’s skull using various instruments. Some of these…Read more »
Antiquated Antidotes 