A-Z of history's weirdest cures... from crystal meth to urine and frogs in butter

Preparing for a major op? Taking a tablet with a nasty taste?

Read this A-Z of the bizarre treatments practised on our predecessors

Suddenly modern medicine will seem a whole lot more appealing...

Kill them with kindness: Arsenic used to be prescribed for psoriasis

ARSENIC… FOR PSORIASIS

It’s notorious for being used in murders, but this poison had medicinal uses too.

A 19th Century study on frogs revealed arsenic attacked the upper layer of the skin and so might help with psoriasis, a condition causing red, scaly patches of skin.



Used well into the 1950s for malaria, chorea and syphilis. Side effects were horrendous and treatment often fatal.

NOW: ‘Arsenic has no effective properties for psoriasis,’ says Dr Michael Dixon, chairman of the NHS Alliance.

BIRD BRAINS… FOR HOLES IN TEETH

In the 1600s, long before fluoride toothpaste and the toothbrush, dental health was poor yet sugar highly prized.



The result was terrible toothache. Popular cures were touching decaying teeth with the tooth of a corpse, or filling holes with paste of partridge brains.

NOW: ‘Have a filling,’ says Professor Damien Walmsley, of the British Dental Association.

CRYSTAL METH… FOR FATIGUE

Crystal methamphetamine was given to Nazi soldiers in the Second World War in a tablet form called ‘tank chocolate’, to keep them awake during long marches.

Hitler was given daily injections for three years.

NOW: Seek out a medical cause for fatigue, such as underactive thyroid, anaemia or underlying depression.

DUNG… FOR CONTRACEPTION

Ancient Egyptians invented condoms in 3000 BC. By 1850 BC they had contraceptive pessaries made of dried crocodile dung, honey and sodium carbonate.



The science was sound – crocodile dung is alkaline, and may act as a spermicide.

NOW: ‘Dung is a very good contraceptive – few men would go near you because of the smell,’ says Dr Dixon.

Kill or cure: And advert for cocaine toothache drops, aimed at children, from the late 1800s

ENEMA WITH SMOKE… TO RESTART BREATHING

From the 17th to 19th Centuries, tobacco was thought to have extraordinary medicinal powers. North American Indians believed tobacco smoke could reinflate the lungs of the dead by blowing it up their bottoms.

NOW: ‘If breathing stops we use cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR],’ says Dr Dixon.

FOX FAT… FOR DEAFNESS

The average age of death in Tudor England was 40. Cures for illness relied on old wives’ tales such as mixing up fox fat with a hare’s gall bladder and placing in the ear to stop deafness. Doctors thought it would remove earwax but it probably pushed it further into the ear canal. NOW: Today, ears are syringed if there’s a build-up of wax.

GLADIATOR’S LIVER… FOR EPILEPSY

In Ancient Rome, gladiator corpses were in high demand as they were believed to have magical powers. Consuming their dead body parts – drinking the blood and eating the liver – meant absorbing the gladiator’s health and vitality.

NOW: ‘We use anti-convulsants,’ says Dr Dixon.

HONEY… FOR BROKEN BONES

Old men in 16th Century China offered themselves up as sacrifices – consuming nothing but honey, and even bathing in it. Their corpses were placed in stone tombs and embalmed in honey for a century. Then they were sold and the sweet flesh consumed for healing bones.

NOW: ‘Honey is used in the NHS for treating wounds due to its antimicrobial properties,’ says Dr Dixon.

Don't be picky: Dr. Walter Freeman performs a lobotomy using an instrument inspired by an ice pick in 1949

ICEPICK… FOR DEPRESSION

In the 1930s and 1940s, lobotomies were used for depression. But they often led to epilepsy, incontinence and death. Dr Walter Freeman, above, did 3,500 Icepick Lobotomies, practising on corpses using an icepick from his kitchen. He inserted a tool into the eye socket, bashing it in with a mallet and swivelling it about. Some 500 patients died.

NOW: ‘Depression is treated with medication, sometimes electroconvulsive shocks and cognitive behavioural therapy,’ says Dr Dixon.

JUICE OF A BEETLE… FOR BALDNESS

In Tudor times, men used a ‘shampoo’ of crushed beetles, then rubbed their scalps with crushed garlic and handfuls of grease from a fox.

Now: ‘There’s no effective treatment for baldness,’ says Dr Dixon. However, Minoxidil – contained in Regaine shampoo – shows promising results.

KETCHUP… FOR STOMACH PROBLEMS

In the 1830s, Dr John Cook Bennett saw the health benefits of tomatoes – a food most Americans didn’t eat – and published a ketchup recipe. He claimed tomatoes could treat diarrhoea, violent bilious attacks and dyspepsia.

Now: ‘Lycopene, a compound in tomatoes, protects against prostate cancer,’ says Dr Dixon.

LETTUCE JUICE… AS ANAESTHETIC

Early attempts at anaesthesia refer to a concoction called ‘dwale’.



One recipe contained three spoons of dried lettuce as well as three spoons of ‘pape’, or poppy (opium) and hemlock.

The dried juice of wild lettuce has a mild sedative effect and is still found in various herbal mixes.

NOW: ‘Lettuce contains opioids and can make some people feel sleepy,’ says Dr Dixon.

Slim pickings: Advertisement for sanitised tape worms to aid weight-loss

MERCURY… FOR SYPHILIS

In 1494, King Charles VIII of France’s successful conquest of Naples resulted in soldiers suffering from the first epidemic of syphilis.



The sexually transmitted infection reached England a couple of years later and the main treatment was mercury ointment (right).



There’s no evidence mercury had any effect on syphillis, although it was used into the 20th Century. Many patients died as a result of mercury poisoning.

NOW: ‘Thankfully we now have antibiotics for this condition,’ says Dr Dixon.

NARCOTICS… FOR COUGHS AND COLDS

In the 19th Century, ‘child-friendly’ syrups, lozenges and powders were developed, promising to relieve toothache, coughs and colds.

Homely adverts masked the truth – they were laden with narcotics including cocaine and heroin.



Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup contained 65mg of morphine.

NOW: When children have a chest infection, the symptoms usually clear up in a few days, says Dr Dixon. Calpol can ease fever or pain.

ONIONS… TO WARD OFF THE PLAGUE

In 1500, it was thought that placing onions and garlic around a room would ward off fatal plagues raging through towns.

NOW: ‘We no longer worry about plague, but onions wouldn’t have helped,’ says Dr Dixon. ‘They do have health-giving properties – thinning the blood.’

PARAFFIN INJECTIONS… AS BREAST IMPLANTS

Viennese doctor Robert Gersuny claimed in the 1890s that one part paraffin and three parts olive oil should be used in breast enhancement. But it led to infections, ulceration, infection and lumps in the breast. ‘It’s like pouring acid into the chest,’ says consultant plastic surgeon Ash Mosahebi.

NOW: Silicone breast implants started in the 1960s, says Mr Mosahebi.

QUININE… FOR MALARIA

Gin and tonic was first developed as a treatment for malaria. Quinine kills the parasites that pass into the body when an infected mosquito bites. Tonic water was invented to mask the unpleasant taste. Its pairing with gin – designed as a medicine for kidney disorders – quickly followed.

NOW: Quinine is important in anti-malarial medications.

ROYAL BODY PARTS… FOR SKIN DISEASES

When Charles I was executed, the mob dipped their handkerchiefs into his blood believing it might cure their rashes. In the Middle Ages, a touch from Royalty was believed to heal scrofula – swollen lymph nodes.

NOW: ‘Now we use creams and emollients,’ says Dr Dixon.

Doctor's orders: A 1940s ad for Camel Cigarettes claim medical professionals would go for the brand when lighting up

SMOKING… FOR A COUGH

As health concerns emerged over smoking, the tobacco industry responded with claims about the benefits of cigarettes. Some promised to ‘pick you up’, to keep you slim, and even protect against sore throats and coughs.

NOW: ‘Smoking is related to cancer and heart disease,’ says Dr Dixon.

TAPEWORM… FOR OBESITY

Victorians ate tapeworm eggs to stay slim. The parasite hatched in the gut and consumed any food eaten. But they caused horrendous stomach distention, nausea, fatigue, vitamin deficiences and even death.

NOW: ‘Today’s equivalent are slimming aids which stop your body absorbing calories,’ says Dr Dixon.

URINE… FOR TOOTH WHITENING

The Romans recommended using your own urine to whiten teeth. Professor Damien Walmsley says: ‘Urine does have cleaning properties. It breaks down into ammonia, working like bleach.’

NOW: Carbamide peroxide is used in modern whitening toothpastes.

Who needs gin then: Vin Mariani, a popular French tonic wine, contained red wine and cocaine

VIN MARIANI… FOR ENERGY

This potion, created by Angelo Mariani, contained cocaine and red wine.



It’s said Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Queen Victoria indulged. It eventually inspired Pemberton’s French Wine Coca, a forerunner of Coca-Cola.

NOW: A short nap and a cup of coffee are safer, says Dr Dixon.

WATER… FOR RHEUMATISM

A drink of radioactive water was once all the rage. In 1932, Eden Byers drank so much he died and inspired the headline: ‘The radium water worked fine until his jaw came off.’ Other deaths followed. Safety concerns meant the practice foundered in the 1960s.

NOW: ‘Arthritis is managed with anti-inflammatory painkillers, but exercise and keeping weight down are important,’ says Dr Dixon.

XU DUAN… FOR BREAST CANCER

According to folklore, the teasel root, known as Xu Duan, can treat cancer. It is grown in China and Japan and is also used for rheumatism and the prevention of miscarriage.

NOW: Cancer is treated with surgery, radiotherapy and drugs, says Dr Dixon. ‘Anti-oestrogen medication such as tamoxifen can prevent the recurrence of hormone-related breast cancer.’

YOUNG FROGS… FOR ASTHMA

Young frogs covered in butter were swallowed to cure asthma in Tudor times. Those unable to stomach it took a potion of crushed human skull and sweat.

NOW: ‘Asthma is treated with beta-antagonists to relax the tightening muscles in the airways. Steroids stop the autoimmune response causing it in the first place,’ says Dr Dixon.

ZINGIBER OFFICINALE… FOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Zingiber (or ginger) is one of many ancient Persian solutions for erectile dysfunction, which they believed was caused by illness or psychological issues.