STRANGE MEDICINE
As I was reading this book I was telling my husband about all of the different techniques throughout the ages of time that the many physicians believed in for treating the many ailments that people had. For example: If you wanted to cure your teeth grinding the back in the 460BC era then you might have been instructed to sleep next to a human skull for seven days while kissing and licking it for the duration of the seven days.
Another well known doctor was Dr. Benjamin Rush. Dr. Rush was really known for his treatment of the mentally ill. He would pour acid on the patient’s back and cut them with a knife. He would keep the patient’s wounds open for months or even years. He thought that this would smooth the progress of dispelling the discharge from the patient’s brain and in essence cure them. He also recommended starving the patients hearing that this helped wild elephants in India.
My husband at one point turned to me and said “Why was I reading this book?” I told him because I wanted to read up on the different medical practices and I thought this book sounded interesting. Well I can tell you that you will not be bored reading this book. In fact, this book is more of a read out loud type of book. Strange Medicine is like visiting The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices without actually visiting the museum. This book is worth every penny.
Nathan Belofsky is the author of The Book of Strange and Curious Legal Oddities, a collection of strange but true laws and legal stories ranging from the Babylonians to the present day. Visit Nathan online: @RealStrangeLaws, http://www.facebook.com/nathan.belofsky
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