Dive into the fascinating and sometimes startling world of historical medical remedies. From the curious to the bizarre, explore how our ancestors attempted to treat various ailments.
This quiz will take you on a journey through time, uncovering the unique and often perplexing methods used in the past. Test your knowledge and learn something new about the history of medicine!
What was believed to cure rabies, according to Pliny the Elder in Ancient Rome?
Birmingham Museums Trust/Unpslash
- A) Drinking boiled grasshopper juice
- B) Covering the wound with raw veal
- C) Eating burned spider webs
- D) Sleeping under the full moon
Answer:
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B) Covering the wound with raw veal
How did John Wesley suggest treating asthma in his book Primitive Physick?
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- A) Breathing in the smoke from burning leaves
- B) A fortnight on boiled carrots only
- C) Consuming honey and cinnamon daily
- D) Regular swims in cold water
Answer:
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B) A fortnight on boiled carrots only
According to John Wesley, what could be done to alleviate heart palpitations?
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- A) Drinking 10 glasses of water a day
- B) Running a marathon
- C) Applying a vinegar-soaked rag externally
- D) Eating raw ginger
Answer:
Source: Tips & Crafts
C) Applying a vinegar-soaked rag externally
What unconventional method did John Wesley suggest for curing toothaches?
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- A) Placing a frog on the cheek
- B) Being electrified
- C) Chewing on willow bark
- D) Listening to classical music
Answer:
Source: Castorly Stock/Pexels
B) Being electrified
How did John Wesley recommend preventing nosebleeds?
Source: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels
- A) Sniffing rose petals
- B) Holding a red-hot poker under the nose
- C) Consuming large amounts of vitamin C
- D) Jumping three times on one foot
Answer:
Source: seattledoctors.com
B) Holding a red-hot poker under the nose
How were Bible cysts traditionally treated, according to Lorenz Heister in 1743?
Source: Dr. George Healy/Wikimedia Commons
- A) Rubbing the cyst with a gold coin
- B) Strapping a bullet that had killed an animal to the cyst
- C) Applying a plaster made from honey and ash
- D) Singing soothing songs to the affected area
Answer:
Source: Will Porada/Unsplash
B) Strapping a bullet that had killed an animal to the cyst
What was an old treatment for asthma involving cigarettes?
Source: Tomasz Sienicki/Wikimedia Commons
- A) Smoking dandelion-infused cigarettes
- B) Breathing in the scent of herbal cigarettes
- C) Smoking asthma cigarettes made with stramonium, belladonna, and tobacco
- D) Inhaling the smoke from burning cedar leaves
Answer:
Source: Freepik
C) Smoking asthma cigarettes made with stramonium, belladonna, and tobacco
What was radium historically believed to cure?
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- A) Night blindness and deafness
- B) Arthritis, impotence, and aging
- C) Common cold and flu
- D) Hair loss and skin diseases
Answer:
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B) Arthritis, impotence, and aging
How was ringworm traditionally treated, according to Mother’s Remedies?
Source: Canva
- A) By applying a paste made of gunpowder and vinegar
- B) With a lotion made from crushed lavender and rose petals
- C) Using a wrap of banana leaves and mud
- D) Rubbing the infected area with a slice of raw potato
Answer:
Source: Jay Rembert/Unsplash
A) By applying a paste made of gunpowder and vinegar
What was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup advertised to treat?
Source: Chokniti Khongchum/Pexels
- A) Hair loss and dandruff
- B) Colic, teething, diarrhea, and general pain
- C) Muscle aches and arthritis
- D) Insomnia and night terrors
Answer:
Source: Freepik
B) Colic, teething, diarrhea, and general pain
According to Bald’s Leechbook, what was a treatment for cataracts?
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- A) Applying a mixture of burned periwinkle flowers and honey in the eyes
- B) Staring at the sun during dawn for three consecutive days
- C) Wearing glasses made from transparent crystals
- D) Bathing the eyes in a solution of gold dust and rose water
Answer:
Source: Wikimedia Commons
A) Applying a mixture of burned periwinkle flowers and honey in the eyes
What bizarre remedy was suggested for treating swollen eyes in Bald’s Leechbook?
Source: Freepik
- A) Placing live worms on the eyelids at night
- B) Applying the eyes of a live crab
- C) Rubbing the eyes with a gold ring
- D) Drinking a potion made from bluebell flowers
Answer:
Source: Nandaro/Wikimedia Commons
B) Applying the eyes of a live crab
For treating swollen body parts, what does Bald’s Leechbook recommend?
Source: jcomp/Freepik
- A) Wrapping the area with warm, salted cabbage leaves
- B) Placing a live snail on the swelling
- C) Securing a fox tooth in a fawn’s skin and placing it on the swollen area
- D) Applying a poultice made from crushed ants and mud
Answer:
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C) Securing a fox tooth in a fawn’s skin and placing it on the swollen area
What was a 10th-century treatment for typhus?
Source: freestocks/Unsplash
- A) Drinking a broth made from boiled oak bark
- B) Going outside, writing a prayer on a piece of paper, and holding it to the left breast
- C) Bathing in a mixture of vinegar and seawater
- D) Eating a diet consisting solely of turnips and barley
Answer:
Source: Scott Graham/Unsplash
B) Going outside, writing a prayer on a piece of paper, and holding it to the left breast
In ancient Assyria, what was used to avoid tipsiness?
Source: iStock
- A) Drinking a potion made from crushed pearls and white wine
- B) Eating ground-up bird beaks mixed with myrrh
- C) Chewing on licorice root
- D) Wearing a bracelet made from the wood of a cedar tree
Answer:
Source: Freepik
B) Eating ground-up bird beaks mixed with myrrh
