The road to modern medicine has been a long one, and doctors have come up with a variety of tools along the way. But some of the early iterations were, shall we say, a little crude. Here are seven of the more cringe-inducing instruments from medicine’s past.
Artificial leeches
When in the 1800s live leeches were unavailable, or perhaps too gross, this metal cylinder with blades performed the same function. Its rotating blades cut into the skin, while the tube suctioned the blood out. A similar tool, called a scarificator, used up to 10 spring-loaded blades. They quickly sliced into the skin, then the device was heated to create the vacuum.
Hernia Tool
Recognizing that the human body could often patch things up better than they could, doctors in the 1850s had a tool specifically for hernias. Once doctors repaired the tear in the muscle or tissue, they would insert the hernia tool into the area. This thing would be in place for about a week while scar tissue formed on it to help seal your repaired hernia.
Amputation saw
Medicine also has a long history of doctors lopping off problems they didn’t yet know how to fix, such as infections. From the pre-antibiotic bacteria of old to the antibiotic-resistant bacteria of today, infection has always been a major reason for amputations. But doctors often took pride in the instruments used for this grisly purpose. Saws like this one and this one had decorative swirls, grooves and other designs that were, ironically, probably also a place for germs to breed.
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