Animal Dung Ointments
In ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian medicine, animal feces were considered medicinal gold. Doctors used crocodile dung as a contraceptive, donkey droppings to fight infections, and pig excrement to treat wounds. These foul ingredients were mixed into salves or inserted into bodily orifices depending on the condition.
The thinking was that the strong smell or texture had magical healing power. In reality, the bacteria in animal feces often made things worse, leading to deadly infections. Some treatments also combined feces with honey or wine in hopes of offsetting the risks, but the results were rarely worth the stink. It’s one of the clearest examples where ancient medicine was literally full of… well, you know.
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