The Craziest Ancient Medical Practices in History

We can thank our ancestors for many things; the wheel, paper, beer, and the cars we drive. But, one thing we can be glad for is that some of their ancient medical practices are not in use today. Here are some crazy ancient medical practices we can thank the invention of modern medicine for.

Trepanation

Suffer from headaches? Well you should be thankful that you did not live in ancient times, when trepanation was a commonly used medical practice. This was the method of drilling holes in one’s head to alleviate illnesses, even though it was hardly successful. Historians unfortunately do not know when or why this practice was invented, but a common theory is that physicians would bore holes in a patient’s head in order to let out any evil spirits possessing one’s mind.

Ointment made from animal dung

The ancient Egyptians created medical treatments that are still in use today, and every culture seems to be enamored by their extensive mummification processes. But it is safe to say one treatment they used to cure ailments should be left in the past, and that is using ointment made from animal dung. In addition to that ingredient, lizard blood, dead mice, moldy bread, and horse saliva were prescribed for all ailments from low libido to healing a wound.

Cannibal treatments?

The ancient Romans believed that corpse medicine was the highest quality treatment one could get. They thought that the blood of a fallen gladiator could cure epilepsy, and that these cannibal treatments contained magical properties. It wasn’t just the Romans though, kings in medieval England enjoyed drinking potions made from crumbled human skull and alcohol.

Sleeping with the dead

The Ancient Babylonians had the belief that almost every illness was caused by demonic forces or the deceased trying to contact the ill. As a response, many Babylonian physicians recommended sleeping next to a human skull for adequate protection.

With these ancient medical practices in mind it is easy to be thankful for pharmaceutical serialization solutions of modern days, including medical blister packaging,and clinical storage and distribution. So next time you struggle to open your medication that is encased in medical blister packaging, be thankful of the serialization we have that will protect your well being!