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Show Notes
For centuries, medical practices were guided by the miasma theory, which posited that diseases like cholera and the Black Death were caused by "bad air" or foul-smelling vapors. This belief led to unconventional treatments, such as the 17th-century practice of storing farts in jars to be inhaled as a shield against the plague. Other historically accepted remedies included the use of mummy powder, or mummia, made from ground human remains, which was believed to cure ailments ranging from headaches to broken bones. This practice originated from a linguistic misunderstanding regarding bitumen, a natural healing substance thought to be used in Egyptian mummification.
Advancements in the 19th and 20th centuries introduced equally peculiar, and often dangerous, treatments. "Medicated cigarettes" containing herbs like stramonium and belladonna were prescribed to treat asthma and congestion, despite the harmful effects of inhaling burnt plant matter. In the early 1900s, Radithor, a radioactive energy drink made with distilled water and radium isotopes, was marketed as a health supplement before the lethal effects of radiation were understood. Similarly, hydro-electric baths, which delivered low-voltage electric currents to patients in porcelain tubs, were popular for treating conditions like exhaustion and writers' cramp, highlighting a period of medical history defined by experimental, and often hazardous, innovation.
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