Gross Vintage Medical Treatments That Did More Harm Than Good
Leeches for Everything
In medieval Europe and well into the 19th century, leeches were the go-to cure for nearly every ailment imaginable—from headaches to gout to “female hysteria.” Physicians believed that all illnesses stemmed from an imbalance in the body’s four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. To fix this, they’d drain blood—often in massive quantities—using dozens of leeches or sharp instruments.
Not only was this ineffective, but it also weakened already sick patients, leading to fainting, infections, or death. Worse, leeches were frequently reused between people, turning hospitals into disease incubators. Despite the grotesque side effects, the practice persisted for centuries, simply because there was no better alternative. Modern medicine eventually replaced leech therapy—though oddly, a sanitized version is still used today for micro-surgeries due to their blood-thinning saliva.
