The sonar of the dolphin is thought to reach the baby in utero and stimulate enhanced brain activity
Dolphin Sonar and Baby Brain Development
Posted by in Quackery Tag: Treatment
Posted by in Quackery 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 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 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%.
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
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.
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.
The wound That Took 50 Years to Kill Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Posted by in Individuals, Series Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the infamous college professor turned war hero, helped advance catheterization methods after he was wounded at Petersburg in 1864.
Serving Wounded Blue and Grey: Pavilion Hospitals in the Civil War
Posted by in Series No one was prepared for the kind of chaos that the war would bring. Medical professionals everywhere were quickly overwhelmed.
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.
A Box of Blades: What is a Scarificator?
Posted by in Object Focus What is a Scarificator? Bloodletting remains to be one of the oldest and far-reaching medical practices of all time. Before the development of the spring-loaded scarificator, veins in a patient’s arms and neck were cut into. The procedure as a whole was extremely slow and painful (patients probably didn’t smile like paintings would lead you…Read more »
“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 