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People Really Thought These Plague Cures Worked

Blowing Smoke Up the Rectum During the 17th century, some doctors believed that blowing tobacco smoke into the rectum could cure the plague. This practice, known… Alexander Gabriel - May 10, 2023

Blowing Smoke Up the Rectum

During the 17th century, some doctors believed that blowing tobacco smoke into the rectum could cure the plague. This practice, known as “tobacco smoke enema“, involved inserting a tube into the rectum and blowing tobacco smoke into it. It was believed that the smoke would purify the blood and cure the disease. The use of tobacco smoke enema was not limited to the treatment of the plague but was also used to treat other conditions like colic and respiratory ailments. While it is true that tobacco has some medicinal properties, the use of tobacco smoke enema was dangerous and often resulted in burns and other injuries.

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Toad’s Breath

During the medieval period, toads were believed to be carriers of disease. Using this logic, their breath was thought to be a cure for the plague. The practice of using toads as a medical treatment involved holding a live toad to the buboes, which were painful swellings caused by the disease itself. It was thought that the toad’s breath would draw out the poison and heal the infected area. The toad was then thrown into a fire to kill it, as it was believed that the plague was transferred to the toad during the treatment. Obviously, this was not a true cure for any disease, but it remained popular for several decades.

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Mixing Buboes with Pigeon Blood

During the medieval period, the mixing of pus and blood from the buboes with the blood of a live pigeon was touted as a miraculous plague cure. The treatment involved cutting open the buboes of the infected person and mixing the pus and blood with the bird’s blood. The bird was then released, and subsequently the infected person would recover. As grisly as this may seem, it wasn’t an uncommon treatment for that time period. The use of live bird treatment is now regarded as a bizarre and dangerous medical treatment, and it is no longer practiced.

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Onions Absorbed “Bad” Air

During the outbreak of the bubonic plague in the 14th century, onions were thought to have healing properties. People of the era believed that the strong smell of onions would purify the air and prevent the spread of the disease. Onions were often placed in bowls around the house to absorb the “bad” air. Some also believed that eating onions could help cure the disease. While onions do have some medicinal properties, there is no current evidence to support the idea that they can cure the plague. Nonetheless, the use of onions as a remedy for the plague is still a popular folk remedy in some cultures.

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Using Snakes

The practice of using snakes as a medical treatment involved placing live snakes on the buboes, the painful swellings caused by the plague. In the middle ages, it was believed that the snakes would suck out the poison and heal the infected area. The skin and venom of some snake species were also thought to have some healing properties. Today, some components of snake venom have been found to have therapeutic potential and are being studied as treatments for conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer.

Where Do We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/plague/index.html#:~:text=Plague%20is%20a%20disease%20that,an%20animal%20infected%20with%20plague.

https://www.history.com/news/a-brief-history-of-bloodletting

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/great-plague/#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20sick%20in,of%20dying%20within%20two%20weeks.

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-leech-therapy#:~:text=Since%20the%20time%20of%20ancient,work%20to%20prevent%20blood%20clots.

https://www.epa.gov/mercury/basic-information-about-mercury

https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/sulfurgen.html#:~:text=Sulfur%20is%20low%20in%20toxicity,to%20the%20skin%20and%20eyes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK585042/#:~:text=Beryllium%20is%20toxic%20as%20both,pain%2C%20or%20shortness%20of%20breath.

https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(09)60386-X/fulltext

https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/does-vinegar-kill-germs/#:~:text=Acetic%20acid%20(a.k.a.%20white%20vinegar,of%20pathogens%20to%20undetectable%20levels.

https://www.emdgroup.com/en/stories/powdered-mummies-used-as-medicine.html