In this post we are going to go through several medical practices, in the order of which I believe to be more normal to all out insane! This should be fun 🙂
1. Urine was utilized as an antiseptic
Oxford University Digital Image Library. http://www.odl.ox.ac.uk/digitalimagelibrary
This means that all battle wounds were required to be treated with urine. Good luck with that one!
2. Surgery
This isn’t necessarily too crazy but the lack of resources they had to complete these surgeries is a rather astonishing statistic. The lack of preparedness during this time often led failed surgeries, or in other words death.
3. Hot Iron for Hemorrhoids
Cambridge University Digital Library. http://www.cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk
The monks often completed this procedure as patients were sent to them and then the monks would put a hot iron up the patient’s anus. The monk’s carried out the procedure because it was believed that if one did not pray to the “protector against hemorrhoids” then they would surely obtain one.
4. Bloodletting
Oxford University Digital Image Library. http://www.odl.ox.ac.uk/digitalimagelibrary
Excess blood was seen as the culprit for many illnesses during the Medieval era. Therefore, letting a patient bleed extensively was a common cure and practice. This was done in one of two ways, either by letting leeches suck the blood from the patient or the physician would cut a vein and let them bleed out.
5. Trepanning
Digital Public Library of America. http://www.dp.la/
This was the process of drilling a hole into one’s skull in order to expose the outer membrane of the brain. This cure was believed to relieve pressure and treat problems that were localized or originated in the head.
Thanks for reading! Hope you liked learning about these crazy procedures. Until next time!
Bibliography:
1. May, Gareth. “10 Bizarre Medieval Medical Practices – Listverse.” Listverse. N.p., 31 July 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://listverse.com/2013/07/31/10-bizarre-medieval-medical-practices/>.
medievalmedicine 