Burning Hemorrhoids Away
In ancient times and well into the Middle Ages, one common cure for hemorrhoids involved cauterizing the afflicted area—literally burning them off with red-hot pokers or boiling oil. The procedure was performed without anesthesia, with screaming patients held down by assistants or bound to crude surgical tables.
The risk of infection was extreme, and many patients died from sepsis or blood loss. Ironically, the intense trauma likely made hemorrhoids worse rather than curing them. Though medical texts from the time praised the treatment as “swift and final,” it’s hard to imagine anything more torturous. Today, we have far more humane options—and far fewer nightmares.
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