Dead Man’s Fat for Healing Wounds
In Renaissance-era Europe, physicians used “human fat,” often collected from the bodies of executed criminals, as a healing balm. Mixed with herbs or wax, it was smeared on wounds, broken bones, or used in potions meant to “absorb the victim’s vitality.” Apothecaries stocked jars labeledAxungia Hominis—literally, “man grease.”
While the fat itself had mild moisturizing properties, it also carried high risk of infection and decay. Worse, the practice promoted body snatching and unethical sourcing of materials. It’s one of the grimmest examples of how old medicine often blurred the line between healing and horror.
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