Normally, you wouldn’t put cigarettes, dead mice, cocaine, and milk in the same category. However, the age of medicine in the past was less about science and more of an art, which led to some pretty strange medical treatments to cure all sorts of ailments. They may be absurd today, but they were thought to be the most progressive treatments at the time. Keep reading to learn about six of the strangest medical treatments in history.
6. Soothing Syrup
Starting our list of strangest medical treatments was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. This liquid was mainly for babies, treating anything from teething to diarrhea. So what was in these magical cure-alls? The two main ingredients in the syrup were alcohol and morphine. The soothing syrup was later condemned, along with others, coined as “baby killers,” which should never be used on a child.
5. Milk Transfusions
Fifth on our list of strangest medical treatments in history is milk transfusions. During the late 19th century, milk was believed to be a perfect substitute for blood, and the fatty qualities of the milk would eventually turn into white blood cells in the body. While a couple of milk transfusions were successful, many of them resulted in death. One example had the patient’s pulse drop immediately after the injection of milk, and the patient was resuscitated with a combination of morphine and whiskey.
4. Smoking Cigarettes
Next on our list is smoking cigarettes. While today they are a dangerous vice, cigarettes were used in the past for some ailments, including asthma. Doctors in the early 1900s believed that inhaling cigarette smoke could help relieve the symptoms of asthma, be a digestive aid, and even a cure for anxiety. However, the opposite was true, as smoking often led to more asthma attacks, breathlessness, heart pains, palpitations, and dizziness. This was also due, in part, to cigarette companies bringing doctors onto commercials to advocate for certain brands.
3. Cocaine
Rounding out the top three strangest medical treatments is cocaine. Many believed that allergy symptoms (aka hay fever) caused by pollen could be lessened with cocaine. However, the treatment was not successful. Cocaine was also used for other medical treatments, sometimes being referred to as a wonder drug. In the late 1800s, some surgeons used cocaine as a surgical anesthetic during eye surgery, but the fad stopped after many patients died of accidental overdoses.
2. Dead Mice
Second on our list of the strangest medical treatments is dead mice. Tracing back to the Ancient Egyptians, dead mice were believed to help cure toothaches. All one needed to do was take a dead mouse, mash it into a paste, and place it on the aching tooth. The paste was supposed to lessen the pain; however, the taste and rotting smell probably distracted people from the aching teeth completely. Dead mice were ground up with other ingredients, too, to cure health conditions like earaches.
1. Malaria
Last but not least for the strangest medical treatments is malaria. While you may be thinking we’re talking about the ailment, malaria was actually used as a treatment in the past. It was believed that infecting someone with malaria could help cure psychosis caused by advanced syphilis. First used by Dr. Julius Wagner-Jauregg, the patients would return to sanity after a bacterial infection induced a high fever. With a 25% success rate, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1927, but his treatments later dwindled with the discovery of penicillin.
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