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Arsenic for anemia -

Despite the fact that arsenic has been recognized as a poison since ancient times, Victorian doctors used small doses to treat a variety of conditions, from syphilis to anemia.

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Arsenic for anemia -

Arsenic was administered in many forms, from ingestion to injection, and many people suffered symptoms of arsenic poisoning, such as rashes, headaches, and stomach problems. 

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Laxatives for chicken pox -

In the 21st century, we have a vaccination against chicken pox, but during Victorian times children were given laxatives to help deal with the itchy outbreaks.

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Laxatives for chicken pox -

The idea was that ingesting a laxative, usually castor oil, would help the system flush out the infectious disease. In reality, however, it usually just compounded the suffering.

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Strychnine for constipation -

When it came to treating constipation, Victorian doctors recommended a number of remedies, from opium to turpentine. The most shocking, however, was strychnine.

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Strychnine for constipation -

In the 21st century, we know that even a tiny amount of strychnine can cause convulsions. At the time, however, it was believed to improve gastric function.

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Chloroform for hiccups -

Towards the end of the 19th century, if you had a bad case of hiccups, your doctor would likely have recommended chloroform, an organic compound also used by doctors as an anesthetic.

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Chloroform for hiccups -

Arguably we still haven’t found a proper remedy for hiccups. Doctors do understand, however, that chloroform is harmful to the nervous system, liver, and kidneys.

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Cigarettes for asthma -

Perhaps the most shocking entry on this list is the cigarettes that were prescribed for asthma. For much of the 19th and even 20th centuries, it was widely believed that inhaling tobacco and cannabis smoke could help ease the symptoms of asthma.

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Cigarettes for asthma -

Various doctors' manuals recommended the practice as an effective treatment, and there were even special "anti-asthma" cigarettes.

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Leeches for nausea -

For thousands of years, one of the main treatments for many illnesses was bloodletting, either with leeches or otherwise. By Victorian times, it was still used as a treatment for nausea, in particular in cases of morning sickness in pregnant women.

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Leeches for nausea -

While bloodletting can actually help to treat a few conditions, such as hemochromatosis, ultimately it was scrapped as doctors realized frequent bleeding could weaken patients.

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Cold douches for insomnia -

When it came to treating insomnia, a Victorian doctor’s go-to was the ‘cold douche,' which involved blasting the patient with cold water. The idea was that the shock would put the brain back into a healthier mode, and sleep would follow as a result.

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Coffee and alcohol for insomnia -

Other remedies for insomnia included coffee and alcohol—both things that contemporary doctors recommend we avoid if we have a hard time falling asleep.

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Belladonna for colic -

One of the bigger blunders in Victorian medicine was the use of Belladonna to treat colic in babies. The plant is poisonous and is now known to be harmful to infants.

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Belladonna for colic -

Belladonna is still used in modern medicine, but only for adults. For years now doctors have recognized that it is not safe for use in children.

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Leeches for earache -

A favorite treatment for earache among Victorian doctors was to leech their patients behind the ear. It may sound disgusting, but with this one, they may have actually been onto something.

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Leeches for earache -

Indeed, modern research shows that once they are attached to a host, leeches can help to numb pain and drain an infection. In 2004, the FDA recognized leeches as a viable live medical device.

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Cocaine for alcoholism -

During the 19th century, before people realized how addictive it was, cocaine was promoted as an effective treatment for conditions ranging from morphine addiction to migraines.

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Cocaine for alcoholism -

In the 1880s Sigmund Freud helped to popularize cocaine as a treatment option for alcoholism, referring to it as a "magical drug."

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Milk transfusions -

During the late 19th century, milk was sometimes used as a substitute for blood. The idea was that by doing a milk-blood transfusion, the fatty oils in the milk would become white blood cells.

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Milk transfusions -

There were a few cases of this procedure being carried out successfully. However, in the vast majority of cases, the patient died.

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Chloroform for asthma -

We have already looked at one shocking Victorian treatment for asthma in cigarettes. However, another perplexing recommendation was chloroform.

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Chloroform for asthma -

Many doctors believed that chloroform could relieve all asthma symptoms and therefore promoted it as a treatment. Unfortunately, it caused many patients to die from overdoses.

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Cocaine for hay fever -

Again, we have already seen that cocaine was prescribed as a remedy for a number of conditions, but perhaps the most surprising is hay fever.

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Cocaine for hay fever -

It seems strange in the 21st century that such a serious and harmful substance was prescribed for such a mild, albeit irritating affliction.

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Whale blubber for arthritis -

Perhaps the most curious entry on this list is the "whale hotel" for rheumatoid arthritis, as described in an 1899 article from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser.

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Whale blubber for arthritis -

According to the article, there was a hotel in Australia where patients could go to seek treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

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The "whale hotel" -

Whenever a whale died nearby, the patient could be rowed to the whale, which would then be cut up and a large hole made in the body.

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The "whale hotel" -

The patient would then lie down in the carcass for around two hours and allow the decomposing blubber to act as a "huge poultice," allegedly relieving soreness and inflammation.

Sources: (English Heritage) (Mental Floss) (Library of Congress)

See also: The mystical and powerful plants of ancient medicine

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