Urine instead of mouthwash. Instead of a condom - domestos. Mummy ointment for bruises, and red-hot iron and bloodletting on virtually anything. These are just some examples of the ingenuity of our ancestors during the treatment.
As always, all TOP10 items are based on the articles we publish. This time we have gathered in one place the chilling therapies that our ancestors underwent.
You won't believe how these ailments were treated in the past…
 | 10. | Are you scared of dental instruments? It's still nothing! In the 17th and 18th centuries, the teeth were cleaned with iron cutters. Toothpaste was unknown, and experts recommended using white salt mixed with broken brick and soot instead. The glaze was whitened by wiping it with egg shells and nut shells or by rinsing the mouth with ... urine (read more on this topic). |
 | 9. | Heart transplantation is still a difficult and risky operation. It was even more so in 1984, and yet Leonard Bailey performed a bloodcurdling procedure for transplanting an organ from baboon to infant. Although the doctor realized that it was possible to look for an animal with greater compatibility, he was afraid of the protests of environmentalists. The little patient paid for his decision with her life (read more on this). |
 | 8. | Mental illness in the 16th century was a condemnation of humiliation even for people of high society. The Spanish queen Joanna the Mad about it found out. When purulent wounds formed on her body, they were burned with iron. And when she suffered from swelling in her legs, she was advised to take hot baths. The water prepared by the servants was so hot that the queen burned her body badly (read more about this). |
 | 7. | There is a wide range of contraceptives on the market today. And 80 years ago? Mercury-based vaginal products were recommended, such as sublimate - a disinfectant and poison that causes e.g. bloody diarrhea. Another popular agent was Lysol, a precursor to domestos in toilet cleaning, the use of which caused painful burns and even death (read more on this topic). |
 | 6. | Do you have a bruised knee or injured yourself? In your place, 16th century kings would use an Egyptian mummy preparation. Belief in the health benefits of an embalmed corpse stemmed from a stupid linguistic misunderstanding, but it has endured for centuries. The mummies were ground and mixed with herbs or rhubarb. They also prepared ointments by boiling the bodies and using the rendered fat (read more on this topic). |
 | 5. | Frankenstein and his monster are fictional? Not exactly. In the nineteenth century, researchers allegedly proved that the resurrection can lead to the rhythmic ... sticking out of the deceased's tongue. In order not to tire the "resuscitator" too much, a machine was built that made the movements necessary for awakening automatically, at regular intervals, 120 strokes per minute. And it was really believed it worked! (read more about this). |
 | 4. | Can't heal your love? Centuries ago, a broken heart was treated like any other ailment - drastically. The package included burning with white-hot iron, bloodletting, applying leeches or whipping. Many unfortunates were hovered over to smell their beloved's pads or hers, heated over a fire, droppings ... (read more on this topic). |
 | 3. | Mental disorders are the perfect excuse from the military? Not exactly. During World War II, the Germans treated their "neurotics" with electric shocks. In military hospitals, they would be "faradized", that is, treated with an electric current strong enough to cause pain. Drugs such as cardiazole were also administered to the sick (read more on this). |
 | 2. | How do I prepare for childbirth? At the end of the last trimester of the 16th century, pregnant women were advised to use a mixture of almond, chamomile and violet oils with chicken, duck and goose oils. It was also recommended to introduce this preparation vaginally. And when it came to dissolution, the midwife cut the umbilical cord ... with her fingernail (read more about this). |
 | 1. | Is your child sick? Several hundred years ago, medics would have had an infant suffering from smallpox cup a cup and bleed his blood. In case of a fever, they would recommend irrigating the baby with a mixture of spirit, sulfur, fiber syrup and copper sulfate. To save the child from such experiences, they were "vaccinated" with pustules, collected in a magic ritual from another sick baby (read more on this topic). |