It was at its worst between 1347-1352. And was blamed on anything from the wrath of God, to the work of the devil, to the planets and even “bad air”. Health professionals only discovered in 1894 that it was actually the work of bacteria. Carried mainly by fleas on rats. The suspected causes were bizarre. The treatments even more so. Bored Panda came across this thread from the Creepy.org “X” account. It details, in pictures, some of the most bizarre medical practices from back in the day. Keep scrolling for a creepy and sometimes cruel look at historical “science”. And be thankful you live in an era where you can pop a pill for pain. Instead of undergoing some of the procedures featured here. The “death ships” were quickly ushered out of the port. But it was too little too late. The Black Death had arrived. And it would be a while before it left. The plague spread through Europe over the next couple of years. Leaving almost a third of the continent dead. It sporadically popped up a few times after that again. But all it often did was make people weaker. Or even more ill. Not surprising that some patients died from blood loss. The sinister practice dates back to Ancient Egypt. Sharp thorns or animal teeth were once used. But later, there were knives or lancets involved. Basically, anything sharp enough would do. Because the point was to drain the sick person’s blood into a bowl, and bring their humors back into balance. Before (hopefully) stopping the bleeding. As this research paper states, “Leeches attach to the host body surface and cut the skin using hundreds of calcified teeth. They can then draw blood for up to one hour while secreting saliva into the wound. The secreted salivary proteins and peptides reach the vascular system of the host via thousands of tiny salivary gland cell ducts.” Some doctors and hospitals use live leeches to treat vascular disease, blood clotting or promote circulation. But there are now also mechanical ones, which are considered a bit safer. And less gross. The maggots feed on a patient’s dead tissue. Much like they feed on rotting meat. They then release special chemicals into the wound. It breaks down the tissue into a liquid form. The thirsty maggots drink the “juice” and digest it. Not sure about you. But it’s a hard no from us. Some people survived the procedure, others didn’t. As this paper states, “Scraping trepanations evinced the highest survival rate; circular grooving, drilling and boring, and linear cutting were far less successful.” Today, trepanation or trepanning is used during modern surgery. It’s also called a craniotomy. And it’s used to relieve pressure on the brain, or to perform brain surgery. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
