10 Weirdest Medical Practices From Ancient Rome

Warning: the methods listed below are taken from the books of ancient authors who clearly understood less about medicine than modern doctors. Therefore, it is not necessary to apply these recipes: they do not help, and even harm. If you are concerned about your health, see a doctor.

1. Chicken broth with droppings and beaver meat for flatulence

Some fans of the history of the Ancient World consider the Romans practically demigods: they built a mighty empire, created a developed system of law, all sorts of aqueducts were invented in the end. But in fact they were ordinary people and nothing human was alien to them. In particular, problems with intestinal gases.

And what should be done with this annoying symptomcausing ridicule and hostility of others? Roman doctors recommendedP. Smith, C. Daniel. The Chicken Book drink chicken broth from an old rooster. It was believed that it has a beneficial effect on the intestines.

But the broth is a useful thing, you say. However, there is another important point: a little bit of white chicken droppings should have been thrown into the soup.

If you do not want to eat this, the famous ancient polymath Pliny advisedVegetables: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking try asparagus with cumin. But the most efficient medicinePliny the Elder. Natural History / Loeb Classical Library, which is guaranteed to relieve gases - minced meat beaver with vinegar and rose oil. At the same time, it helps a lot with epilepsy, stomach diseases and paralysis. It seems to be.

2. Touching a menstruating woman and calf dung for gout

Gout is a disease that causes excruciating acute arthritis, impaired kidney function and the formation of seals under the skin. At all times, it was a disease of the rich, who ate too much red meat, sweets and alcohol, and also led a sedentary lifestyle.

Roman patricians were familiar with this disease firsthand, so their doctors developed the best treatments for them.

Yes, Pliny indicatesJ. J. Lennon. Pollution and Religion in Ancient Romethat alleviate the condition can be touched menstruating woman. Where exactly to touch it and for how long, the scientist did not specify. In addition, this action perfectly heals scrofula, skin growths, fever and rabies - solid pluses, don't you think?

If a woman was not at hand, you can rubPliny the Elder. Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder (Illustrated) gouty nodes with a mixture of mustard, saffron, goat fat and goat dung - do not confuse, this is important! Calf dung boiled with lily bulbs is also an excellent remedy.

More you can get rubbedPliny the Elder. The Natural History sea ​​hare is an animal from the seal family. Or wear shoes made from the skin of a Pontic beaver - it is not clear, however, what kind of Pliny had in mind.

And finally, the most effective, although a little cruel methodAn Entertaining Tale of Quadrupeds: Boil the fox in boiling oil. Cool the remaining liquid after this and drink. Gout how to take it off by hand!

3. Wolf bile and quince in honey for constipation

Difficulty going to the toilet? The Romans know how to help you. mothballPliny the Elder. Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder (Illustrated) raw quince in a clay pot in honey - the remedy will relieve constipation at once.

You do not want? Then mix wolf bile with milk, salt and honey and pour the resulting mixture into your navel. Or add ox bile to crushed sagebrushPliny the Elder. Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder (Illustrated), having achieved a viscous consistency, and enter it into your anus.

4. Pomegranate and women's milk for nausea

For those who suffer from nausea, whether due to natural causes or after the use of one of the aforementioned remedies, the Romans advisedPliny the Elder. Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder (Illustrated) eat pomegranate and drink its juice. But human milk helps best of all - it is especially effective if a woman has given birth to a boy and has already weaned him from her breast.

5. Crocodile meat and cheese for acne

Acne was as much a problem for the boys and girls of Rome as it is for us today. But, praise Jupiter, there were effective ways to deal with this scourge. For example, rubbingPliny the Elder. The Natural History minced crocodile skin with Cypriot oil. It helps a lot with acne and even removes freckles.

If you do not have an extra crocodile lying around in the pantry for beauty procedures, there is another wayPliny the Elder. The Natural History - baths with butter and sour-milk cheese. Also helpsE. block. Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science rubbing the skin with leek leaves and myrrh with honey.

Finally, the court physician of Emperor Theodosius, who ruled in the 4th century advisedAcne Vulgaris - The Adolescent's Albatross / Essays of an Information Scientist swipe across the face with a cloth, watching a shooting star. After this procedure, all acne will definitely disappear.

6. Swan fat and cow dung for warts

Another common skin problem is warts. But even here, enlightened Roman doctors could suggest a treatment. You just need to take dry cow dung, mouse droppings or swan fat, burnPliny the Elder. The Natural History, breathe in smoke, and all sorts of growths on the skin will dissolve by themselves.

Besides, it's good rubPliny the Elder. The Natural History warts with freshly picked peas, sea foam (from which, as you know, the goddess Venus, the most beautiful of women, was born), or white sea sand.

And if you are a wealthy citizen, treat problem areas with gold - this is the most effective.

The same Romans, who had neither precious metal, nor swan fat, nor the sea at hand, could wait until the 20th day of any month, lie face up on the road in the middle of the night, lookSouthern California Practitioner, Volume 21 to the moon, feel for any object nearby and rub it on the wart.

7. Egg yolks and vulture lungs for dysentery

It is now known that dysentery is an infectious lesion of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by a painful bowel disorder and diarrhea with blood. The Romans did not know the causes of this disease, and therefore its treatment was very peculiar.

So, it was noted that from dysentery helpsPliny the Elder. The Natural History boiled lizard meat. It is also not bad to include egg yolks with poppy juice and wine or pomegranate flowers in the diet. But the best - chopA. Giesecke. The Mythology of Plants: Botanical Lore from Ancient Greece and Rome vulture lungs, mix with wine and drink in one gulp.

8. Cabbage for deafness and childhood diseases

Modern nutritionists consider cabbage a good low-calorie source. vitamins and beneficial plant compounds. What they don't know is that this vegetable also helps deaf people regain their hearing. At least so arguedHousehold Medicine In Ancient Rome / The British Medical Journal Roman physician Cato the Elder.

The vegetable, according to his instructions, should be crushed, mixed with water and wine and dripped into the ears.

Cato, according to him bookHousehold Medicine In Ancient Rome / The British Medical Journal "On Agriculture", he was very fond of cabbage and prescribed it to patients in general for any diseases. For example, he claimed that the vegetable cleanses the upper digestive tract, so it is good for constipation. Cato himself ate cabbage three times a day - boiled, raw, seasoned with vinegar - and believed that there was no diet more useful.

In addition, by opinionM. P. Cato. De Agri Cultura Liber ancient Roman healer, the urine of a person who ate cabbage acquired healing properties, so that it was possible to rinse babies (Well, just for prevention).

9. Fox genitals and chameleon in headache wine

Tired of a headache? Pour wine into a bowl soakM. Crump, D. b. Fenolio. Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizard's Leg: The Lore and Mythology of Amphibians and Reptiles a live chameleon in it, then sprinkle the liquid on the head. The advantage of this method is that the reptile is reusable. If you feed and care for the animal well, you will be provided with a cure for migraine for a long time.

If there is no chameleon, you can touch the forehead with the trunk of an elephant. It is best if he is alive and has recently sneezed.

As a last resort, writesM. J. Eadie. Headache: Through the Centuries encyclopedist Pliny the Elder, it is worth tying the genitals of a fox to a sore spot on the head.

If you do not work in a zoo and do not have chameleons, elephants and foxes, it is enough soakW. Hartston. The Encyclopedia of Useless Information tissue with menstrual blood, burn it, mix the ashes with rose oil and rub the head with this medicine.

10. Fried seahorses and boiled incontinence mice

If any Roman suffered from involuntary urination, the doctor could recommendM. E. Moran. Urolithiasis: A Comprehensive History him a reliable means: to take bladder hyena, soak it in wine and eat it. Thus, you can strengthen your own body - treat like with like, so to speak.

If there are no hyenas around, you can borrow a bladder from a wild boar and fry it, and then consume it orally. If there is no wild boar, brown it on the fire and eat the seahorse.

When a child suffered from incontinence, the good Pliny advised feeding him boiled mice.

It would also be nice tie upPliny the Elder. The Natural History genitals with linen or papyrus - you see, the Romans invented diapers long before the 20th century.

And finally, the most effective methodPliny the Elder. The Natural History: burn the penis of a pig, mix the ashes with wine and drink until you get drunk. Then urinate on your dog's bed - it's best not to think about his feelings - and the incontinence will pass from you to him.

True, then you have to treat already dogbut Pliny wrote nothing about it.