Get ready to take a horrifying trip through medical history
If you like topics related to medicine and its development throughout history, here in Mega Curioso we have published several articles on this subject. These include information about somewhat dubious procedures in the past, daunting medical tools that exist today - thankfully - in museums, bizarre conditions, and many other curiosities.
And to continue our short list, we find a selection of historical photos - posted by the folks at eBaum's World - that take us on a time travel through equipment, treatments and a host of other things used by doctors in the past that today are chilling. Check out:
1 - Protective Masks
The creepy masks above, capable of causing nightmares on anyone, were worn during the Black Death and contained scented substances in their beaks.
2 - Steel lung
The strange photo machine was created in the 1920s to treat severe cases of respiratory failure and was used to minimize the damage caused by polio. The equipment exerted pressure to expand the ribcage and thus force air in, and many children remained in treatment on these contraptions for months.
3 - Prosthesis
The prostheses have been developing so much that there are even robotic limbs that allow amputees to control these devices very precisely and even with the mind. But until we reached this technological level, it took many decades of hard work, as you can compare with the mechanical leg in the image above and the wooden hand in the photo below, both from the 19th century.
4 - Before the plastic
The above pieces are also prosthetics and were used to cover and mask facial injuries and imperfections before plastic surgery became as popular and modern as it is today.
5 - Deviations
If wearing vests and necklaces to correct spine problems seems cumbersome and torturous, then take a look at the devices that existed in the past. The image above was developed by a doctor named Clark in the 19th century, while the one pictured below was Lewis Sayre's proposed treatment for scoliosis.
6 - Anesthesia
The picture you just saw of the mid-19th century shows one of the first surgeries performed using ether as an anesthetic. By the way, did you notice the lack of the traditional blue or green coats, masks, gloves and environment and super sterile equipment that we are used to today?
7 - Psychiatric Treatment
The photo shows a very common type of treatment from the 19th and early 20th centuries, in which patients suffering from “insanity” were wrapped in damp sheets.
8 - Tools
It's going to say that the contents of the briefcase above, made up of surgical instruments carried by US Civil War doctors, don't look like carpenter's tools!
9 - Transfusions
Are you a hypochondriac type and afraid of needles? So take a look at the bottles that were used for blood transfusions! The image is from 1978 - not so long ago, if we stop to think - and, despite being sterile, it was not made with disposable materials like today's bags. Have you ever thought about the needle gauge that probably completed the kit?
10 - Protection
If you have had to do any radiography, then you may have noticed the vests that technicians use to protect themselves from radiation. The image above shows the model used in 1918 during World War I.
* Originally posted on 10/03/2014.
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