In 1861 in Germany, John Ross Browne, an American traveler and writer, witnessed an unusual event. In the city of Hanau, he watched the execution of a local murderer, sentenced to beheaded for manslaughter. It would be no different from other similar "shows" if it were not for a few people waiting for the executioner to fulfill his task. They were suffering from epilepsy, and they held vessels in their hands, which after the death of the condemned man, they filled him with still warm blood and drank. They believed that it was a drug and, surprisingly, they were not alone.
For centuries, in various parts of Europe, there was a belief that a quick and brutal death leads to the imprisonment of vital forces in the human body, possessing healing powers. In this way, the practice of medical cannibalism developed, about which the Roman historian Pliny the Elder wrote already in the first century AD. One of the last mentions of an attempt to obtain such a "medicine" dates back to 1908, when an executioner in Germany refused to give the blood of a beheaded convict to a woman suffering from epilepsy.
Although the entire nineteenth century brought an extraordinary development in the field of medicine, it still included mainly university centers and large cities. Small towns and villages were still backward, practicing old healing methods which today seem to be charlatan.
However, it is worth remembering that they did not come out of nowhere. The pages of history are filled with scientists, doctors and pharmacists who, since ancient times, recommended the use of medicaments containing raw materials obtained from the human body in their healing treatments . What was most often used for their production?
Human fat - for pain and smooth skin
Human fat has been widely used in medicine. The most popular one was the one obtained from the victim who was still alive, preferably at the end of the torture. In the Renaissance, it was used both to treat skin diseases and to fight rheumatism, gout, all kinds of pains and even anxiety. It was also used in cosmetics, in the production of lotions and face creams. Queen Elizabeth I herself smeared with one of them.
Human fat was also used in cosmetics, in the production of lotions and face creams. Queen Elizabeth I herself smeared with one of them.
The demand for human fat was so great that it was obtained not only from criminals, as Jonathan J. Moore writes about:
In 1736, a man from Norfolk, England, had an argument with his wife and, in a fit of despair, took his own life. The investigation established that he had committed suicide by hanging and that his body had to be buried at a crossroads, but his wife had a different idea. She offered to sell the body to the surgeon for half a guinea. [...] She quickly made a deal and the unfortunate spouse ended up in a bag which he did not even fit in completely.
The healing touch of the corpse
Another macabre practice was believing in the healing touch of a hangman. Both as a warning and to ensure that criminals sentenced to be hanged would not suddenly rise from the dead, their corpses were left in noose for several hours or even days. Meanwhile, patients with skin problems approached them and put their hands on their bodies, hoping for a quick recovery. Similar practices were applied to young children suffering from various medical conditions.
The mortal remains of hangmen were also treated as mines of healing material . Their hair and flesh were cut off, their teeth torn off and even their clothes robbed which in folk beliefs had magical properties.
Another macabre practice was believing in the healing touch of a hangman.
Staying on the subject of touch, the severed hands, especially the thieves, were also very “taken”. They were called "hands of glory" and were used as candlesticks. Properly prepared, they were supplemented with ordinary candles or those made of human fat. The fingers of such a hand were also often used as candles. It was believed that the "hand of glory" has a magical power - it protects the house from theft, and covers the owner with a veil of invisibility ...
Healing blood of the condemned
The belief in the health benefits of blood goes back at least to Roman times. At that time, the blood of young, strong and violently killed gladiators enjoyed the greatest interest. They are used in both rituals and medicine. Providing the bride with fertility, curing the disease, making the other person fall in love with each other - for all these occasions it was recommended to use gladiator's juice.
Subsequent eras expanded the range of use of the blood of the doomed. It was used to treat epilepsy, menstrual pain and flatulence. It was also believed that the fresher the blood, the better its properties. Therefore, over time, the executioners began to buy places in the queue waiting for the beheading of the convict. Thus, the fastest acquisition of the medicinal raw material was guaranteed. For many, the last thing they saw was a series of sick people waiting with pots and pans for his death ...
Providing the bride with fertility, curing the disease, making the other person fall in love with each other - for all these occasions it was recommended to use gladiator's juice.
Over time, the executioners even began to trade in the desired "material". In contrast, in Denmark and Sweden, "by law, a prisoner sentenced to death had to obtain permission to use his blood for medical purposes."
Interestingly, the practice of medical cannibalism has proved extremely difficult to eradicate. In the nineteenth century, the authorities of many localities had to go as far as to protect the bodies from the local population. And for good reason:
In 1859, soldiers guarding the body of the decapitated woman were attacked by a crowd of spectators who wanted to dip cloths in the blood that gushed from her neck half a meter up.
Bibliography
- J.J. Moore, Hang, gut and dismember, that is the history of the execution , Znak Horyzont, Krakow, 2019.
- https://www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/episode-113-word-of-mouth (accessed:25/01/2021).
- M. Dolan, The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine , www.smithsonianmag.com, May 6, 2012 (access:January 25, 2021).
- M. Zarrelli, European 'Corpse Medicine' Promised Better Health Through Cannibalism , www.atlasobscura.com, 31/10/2017 (access:25/01/2021).
- R. Sugg, Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires:the History of Corpse Medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians , Routledge, 2011.