Prompt Cast
Bizarre and Harmful Medical Treatments Throughout History
TLDR Throughout history, there have been numerous bizarre and harmful medical treatments, including injecting toxin into the face for a youthful appearance, using tobacco enemas to revive drowning victims, and using mercury to treat syphilis. These treatments have fallen out of use due to their ineffectiveness and potential harm.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Botulinum toxin, or Botox, is a bizarre medical treatment that involves injecting toxin into the face to look youthful, although it is also used for other purposes like treating migraines and excessive sweatiness.
05:13
Tobacco enemas were used in the 18th century to revive drowning victims and were even promoted by the Royal Humane Society, but eventually fell out of use due to their ineffectiveness and potential harm.
09:57
Mercury was used as a treatment for syphilis in the past, but it had harmful side effects such as tooth loss and agitation.
14:44
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, products containing radium, such as radium bread and radium water, were marketed as health-promoting and disease-curing, but the trend died off in the 1930s after a pro golfer died of radiation poisoning from consuming radium tincture.
19:45
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, radioactive wax rods were inserted into the urethra or an athletic supporter containing radium impregnated fabric was worn to treat erectile dysfunction, and drinking or ingesting one's own urine was believed to stimulate the immune system and fight cancer, although there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.
24:46
In the Victorian age, doctors would perform pelvic massages on women to bring them to orgasm as a treatment for hysteria or wandering womb, and later introduced vibrators as a medical device to achieve the same result more quickly.
29:05
Leeches have been used for thousands of years in humoral medicine to treat blood blighting, and they are still used today as an FDA approved medical device due to their secretion of herudin, which has coagulant, antibiotic, numbing, and vasodilator properties.
33:59
In the 19th century, drugs like morphine and cocaine were readily available in over-the-counter medicines and elixirs, including Coca-Cola, cocaine tooth drops, and cocaine throat lozenges.
38:28
Trepanation, the practice of drilling a hole in the skull, has been performed for thousands of years and sometimes resulted in the patient's survival, potentially for the purpose of releasing evil spirits or reducing brain swelling.
42:59
The host mentions a fundraising effort for a foundation that puts musicians in children's hospitals and camps, and asks listeners to donate to help reach their goal.
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