Leeches for Everything
In medieval Europe and well into the 19th century, leeches were the go-to cure for nearly every ailment imaginable—from headaches to gout to “female hysteria.” Physicians believed that all illnesses stemmed from an imbalance in the body’s four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. To fix this, they’d drain blood—often in massive quantities—using dozens of leeches or sharp instruments.
Not only was this ineffective, but it also weakened already sick patients, leading to fainting, infections, or death. Worse, leeches were frequently reused between people, turning hospitals into disease incubators. Despite the grotesque side effects, the practice persisted for centuries, simply because there was no better alternative. Modern medicine eventually replaced leech therapy—though oddly, a sanitized version is still used today for micro-surgeries due to their blood-thinning saliva.
Mercury for Syphilis
Long before antibiotics were developed, syphilis terrified society. Its gruesome symptoms—ulcers, dementia, and even death—demanded extreme solutions. Enter mercury, a highly toxic metal, used in ointments, vapor baths, and injections. Slogans like "A night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury" captured the deadly irony: the cure was often more dangerous than the disease.
Side effects were brutal. Teeth fell out, skin peeled, and some patients suffered complete organ failure. Because syphilis itself caused neurological damage, doctors often couldn't tell if the patient was dying from the disease—or the mercury. Some patients were even treated for decades, turning into walking mercury containers. It wasn’t until penicillin arrived in the 1940s that this horrific chapter of medical quackery finally ended.
