Tag: medical
Woman Awarded $10,000 After Doctor Left Gauze Inside Her
In 1920, a Chicago courtroom heard a medical malpractice case that would sound painfully familiar even today. Mrs. Hulda Anderson, the wife of a letter…
When a Surgical Sponge Was Left Inside a Patient
In 1910, a Los Angeles man brought forward the kind of medical malpractice claim that still makes patients uneasy more than a century later: he…
The Deadly Mystery of Tennessee Milk Sickness
Milk sickness was once one of the most dreaded mysteries of rural America. It appeared without warning, striking both families and livestock with violent thirst,…
Evening Kisses Less Dangerous For You
In the long and colorful history of medical advice, few warnings are quite as awkward as this one: beware the morning kiss. In 1920, Dr….
7 Terrifying Reports of People Who Operated on Themselves
From amputations performed with pocketknives to appendectomies done on kitchen tables, the newspaper archives are filled with horrifying stories of people who took surgery into…
The Whale Cure: Rheumatic Patients Napping in Whale Corpses
In Australia during the late 1800s, rheumatic patients would gather at whaling stations for a rather unusual form of therapy. When a whale was captured…
The Hidden History of Chastity Belts in the 19th Century: What You Didn’t Know!
In the 19th century, when corsets and top hats were all the rage, another curious accessory was quietly making its mark: the chastity belt. While…
The Historical and Superstitious Uses of Bay Leaves
Bay leaves, known scientifically as Laurus nobilis, have been cherished for their symbolic and practical uses for over two thousand years. Originating from the Mediterranean…
Doctor attempts to revive hanged man and heal his broken neck, scams distressed mother
From a newspaper published in the spring of 1892 we find a horrifying story of a doctor who attempted to revive a man who was…
6 Terrifying Medical Procedures in Victorian England
Victorian England saw medical practices that might seem barbaric or terrifying by today’s standards, largely due to the limited understanding of disease and the lack…
