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.
Tag: Quackery
Goat Testicles for Virility: John R. Brinkley
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
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
Wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient surgical mishaps, although infrequent, do still occur in the 21st century.
Killer Wallpaper: A Green to Die For
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
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Smoking Cigarettes: An Outdated Remedy for Asthma?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!”
(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 »