18 Simultaneously Scary and Mesmerizing Photographs of Past Medicine (19 photos)

We've become accustomed to the fact that modern medicine has made incredible progress; familiar drugs and techniques no longer seem like miracles. But in the old days, doctors knew very little about the human body, and there were plenty of charlatans among them. Therefore, some medical procedures of that time were incredibly strange and painful. We can only be glad that we live in the 21st century and can enjoy the benefits of modern scientific advances!







In psychiatric hospitals, patients were swaddled in wet blankets to calm them.





A medical worker's uniform from an X-ray room, presumably 1918.



To prevent rickets, children were exposed to ultraviolet light in winter, 1925.



Dr. Lewis Sayre treats scoliosis. Photo from Victorian England.



Dr. Clark's spinal apparatus was advertised in 1878 as a device that allowed people with back problems to walk for several minutes (or even hours) a day.



Portable defibrillator from the 1960s.



Physical therapy, 1920s.



Surgeries weren't always performed under anesthesia. Patients were given only a little ether before surgery, and that was all the anesthesia they received. This photo of the amputation was taken presumably in 1885.



Anatomical model of a pregnant woman, 1680s. The coffin-shaped case served as a reminder that anatomy could only be studied on deceased people.



European birthing chair, circa 1750.



Wheelchair, 1915.



Healing radioactive water, circa 1928.



Prosthetic leg, 1890.



Prosthetic hand, circa 1800.



Iron lung apparatus, 1950s. Before the invention of the polio vaccine, young patients were placed in an iron lung apparatus, which simulated breathing.



Medical heroin sold by Bayer in the 1890s.



Painkiller tablets with cocaine.



A special jar for leeches, early 19th century.