Buzz
Health trends are not a modern phenomenon, they go way back in history. For instance, the ancient Egyptians used strange techniques to lose weight and treat illnesses, much like people in the 20th century. Throughout history, individuals have tried anything available to reach perfection... even when the methods seemed somewhat bizarre.
Over the years, people have attempted some outrageous remedies to improve their health, and it’s only through science and hindsight that we can see how truly dangerous these practices were. Whether someone was aiming to shed pounds or get rid of a persistent STD, humans have long been obsessed with health fads. Here are ten of the wildest things people have done to try and fix themselves.
10. Mercury as a Remedy for Syphilis
As most people know, mercury is highly toxic and should never be ingested. We are cautioned about high levels of mercury in fish, and the substance is generally feared. However, for centuries, mercury was the standard treatment for syphilis. Considering the severity of the disease, it’s no wonder people were willing to try anything to cure it. Syphilis is a devastating condition that can disfigure and kill if untreated. Today, penicillin is used, but in the 1300s, mercury was the go-to remedy for this STD.
Mercury was applied to the skin, injected, or taken orally, and while it remained a popular remedy until the mid-20th century, it never actually worked. If anything, it may have hastened the patient's death, possibly reducing the agony from the illness, but that’s like solving a problem by making it worse. Eventually, a compound called mercurous chloride (calomel) was found to have some effect in treating the disease, though it wasn’t until 1910, and it was still quite toxic.
9. Lobotomies for Treating Mental Illness
Mental health issues were only recently acknowledged and treated as genuine medical conditions. Up until the mid-20th century, individuals suffering from mental disorders were often locked away in institutions, where they received little to no care. These facilities served more as a way to remove people from society rather than treat them. Many were subjected to extreme treatments, including electroshock therapy, and some endured the brutal procedure known as the 'ice pick lobotomy.'
Lobotomies gained popularity in the United States in 1936, and by 1949, up to 5,000 of these procedures were performed annually, even on patients as young as four years old. The operation involved inserting long metal probes through the eye socket under local anesthesia, allowing the frontal lobe to be physically disrupted. The procedure often caused irreversible personality changes and effectively killed the patient, though the body remained alive. While this practice was widespread, it came under intense scrutiny by the 1970s and was largely phased out. It left tens of thousands with long-term brain damage, all for what could have been treated through less invasive methods.
8. Arsenic as a Weight Loss Solution
Arsenic is commonly associated with rat poison, but there was a time when people willingly consumed it in the form of a diet pill. In the 1800s, individuals in Austria began adding small amounts of arsenic to their coffee as a method to lose weight. They would gradually increase the dosage until diarrhea set in, and then reduce it to continue the process. Sure, they lost weight, but they were also poisoning themselves.
The fad evolved into a pill form and was promoted as a miracle weight-loss solution across the globe, lasting well into the 1920s. Unfortunately, it likely caused more harm than good, and in many cases, death. We now understand that arsenic doesn’t just upset your stomach and send you running to the bathroom; it causes cell damage and increases the risk of cancer, even in small amounts. It’s best avoided at all costs.
7. The Last Chance Diet
There are countless absurd fad diets in circulation, such as the Cookie Diet and the Cabbage Soup Diet, but few have proven to be as lethal as the one aptly named the 'Last Chance Diet.' In 1976, Dr. Robert Linn promoted this diet, claiming that the only way to maintain both a slim figure and good health was to abstain from food entirely and consume only his so-called magic tonic, Prolinn. The problem with this plan was the total lack of exercise, coupled with Prolinn providing less than 400 calories—far too little for any adult to survive on.
Prolinn, the core element of this diet, was primarily made from collagen, which was essentially just ground-up animal hooves and hides from slaughtered animals. The liquid was essentially the discarded waste nobody else wanted, but once transformed into a drink, Dr. Linn marketed it as a miracle cure. Tragically, it was linked to the deaths of around 30 people. Dr. Linn was later investigated by the FDA, and this diet is one that should never be attempted.
6. Tapeworms for Weight Loss
One of the most important things to understand is that deliberately ingesting a parasite like a tapeworm is always a bad idea. Despite common sense, people have been doing this since Victorian times. The premise is simple: ingest a pill containing a tapeworm egg, and once it hatches and the worm matures, it will feed on the food you consume. This supposedly allows you to eat whatever you want without gaining weight, as the worm will absorb all those unwanted calories. However, the reality is much messier, as tapeworms can cause a range of serious health issues, and the worm will need to be removed.
This method was popular in Victorian England and unfortunately continues even today. People are still intentionally infecting themselves with tapeworms in hopes of losing weight. Fortunately, removing tapeworms is relatively easy today, but in the 19th century, it was often a dangerous and difficult process. Methods included swallowing large metal tubes, which frequently led to choking, or poisoning oneself in attempts to expel the worm. Many people died from these risky treatments, and no matter what you read online, there is never any legitimate reason to intentionally infect yourself with a tapeworm.
5. LSD as a Potential Alcoholism Treatment
Alcoholism is a severe condition affecting millions worldwide, and it’s no wonder people search for alternative treatments. For those who prefer not to, or cannot, engage in conventional therapy like support groups, LSD could be an option... possibly. Research in the 1960s explored whether LSD could reduce alcohol cravings, but the findings were inconclusive, leading to the suspension of the study. However, in 2012, researchers revisited the data and began reassessing the potential of hallucinogens in treating alcoholism.
The study revealed that LSD helped 59% of participants, showing that it may not be as unlikely a solution as it sounds. Although the FDA is unlikely to approve it for use anytime soon, an alternative, naltrexone, has yielded similar results. The main risk with LSD treatment lies in the potential for a negative experience, commonly known as a bad trip. Misuse of LSD or similar substances can lead to complications, particularly for those with mental health conditions or other serious medical concerns.
4. The Tobacco Enema (And Other Wild Things People Have Inserted Into Their Bodies)
If you've ever told someone to go blow smoke up their ass, there's a chance they might have taken it literally. This saying actually originates from a bizarre 18th-century practice of administering tobacco smoke through someone's rectum, known as a tobacco enema. The procedure was widely used well into the late 1700s, primarily to revive drowning victims. It was believed that the smoke would stimulate the respiratory system and help dry out the body, although it was effective only as often as you might imagine.
Blowing smoke up there wasn't the only strange enema people have tried over the centuries. Coffee enemas are another odd treatment, which is exactly what it sounds like. Some have even resorted to oil enemas to alleviate constipation. But perhaps the most dangerous enema of all is the alcohol enema, also known as 'butt-chugging.' This is particularly hazardous since anything introduced into the rectum is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver’s filtering process, which can lead to deadly consequences.
3. Radium: The Cure-All
When Marie Curie and her husband Pierre discovered radium, it was hailed as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the 19th century. Tragically, Marie later died of aplastic anemia due to her prolonged exposure to radium. Yet, long before her passing, radium was regarded as a miraculous substance and was incorporated into a wide range of consumer products. It was believed to have healing properties, and before the dangers of radiation on human cells were understood, companies added radium to items such as toothpaste, chocolate, and water, often intended for consumption. This continued until the 1930s.
Radium was used in a variety of products, including toys and night-lights, due to its ability to emit a faint glow. This glow was useful for lighting dark spaces in the absence of electricity. Radium was also added to cosmetics applied to the face, heating pads, and even suppositories. It was even believed to be a remedy for impotence, though it likely only exacerbated the issue. Radium remained a staple in everyday products until the 1960s, so if you're browsing an antique shop, be cautious—you might stumble upon something radioactive.
2. Heroin-Infused Cough Syrup
There was a time when you could walk into your local pharmacy and purchase cough syrup laced with heroin. These days are long gone, but they offer a glimpse into the medical practices of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the late 1890s, the German pharmaceutical company Bayer promoted a remedy for coughs and colds in children, which combined aspirin and heroin. This practice continued until 1912, when studies showed that patients were developing a 'tolerance' to heroin, leading to an increase in addiction.
You might think it was pulled from shelves immediately, but it remained available in stores until 1914, when it was restricted to being sold by prescription only. Patients could continue to obtain it with a doctor's prescription until 1924, when the FDA stepped in and banned it. Similarly, cocaine was used as an anesthetic and was, for a brief period in the 19th century, an ingredient in Coca-Cola.
1. Bloodletting
Bloodletting is one of those medical practices so ingrained in history that it’s hard to believe we survived it. With the benefit of modern understanding, we now realize that draining blood from a sick person is the worst possible treatment. Yet, for centuries, so-called 'doctors' did exactly that. The idea was based on the belief that blood could become contaminated and needed to be removed to promote healing. While it seems absurd from a 21st-century perspective, this practice persisted for nearly 2,000 years.
Interestingly, bloodletting may have had some benefits in specific cases. For instance, when used to treat hypertension, removing some blood could alleviate high blood pressure symptoms. However, in most other instances, the practice weakened patients and often led to fatal infections. This was especially true before antibiotics were discovered, as the wounds from the bloodletting procedure would frequently become infected, with few patients surviving the complications.
