Greetings, fellow historio-medico aficionados, Kevin here for another installment of CPP Curiosities, our semi-regular foray into interesting and unusual episodes in medical history. On behalf of all of use here at The Center for Education of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, I hope you are safe and healthy. Past installments of our series examined a scientist , a , and . Today, I'm pleased to welcome guest writer Amanda McCall. Amanda has been researching various projects for the Center for Education, including doing great work developing the scenario for Murder at the Mütter, our annual murder mystery designed to teach the public about forensic science.
Today, she will be introducing us to the interesting ways human remains have factored into medicine.
Take it away, Amanda!
Corpse Medicine
There was once a period of history in which using the blood, fat, and skulls of the dead as medicine was commonplace. For several hundred years- peaking in the 16th and 17th century- the treatment for many ailments might have been a piece of one of your fellow humans. It probably sounds pretty illogical and even disgusting, right? Many physicians operated under the thought that ‘like treated like’, and the body contained a vital life force that if transplanted into the body of an ill individual could help them heal and regain their vitality. If the cadaver had suffered a violent death even better! Then even more of their bodily ‘spirit’ would be trapped in their flesh and bones. So, if you suffered from joint pain then maybe a salve of human fat would help ease your discomfort. Are nose bleeds complicating your life? Then, procure a bit of skull moss and place it in your nostrils.
Medical Mummies
Even the ancient mummies of Egypt weren’t safe from intrepid Europeans. Due to the incorrect translation of some Persian medical texts, Europeans thought that the sticky black resin found on many mummies held miraculous healing properties. The Persian text was referring to a natural mineral pitch that was found in the mountains nearby that was frequently used as a treatment for cuts, fractures, stomach ulcers, and tuberculosis. The European medical community would not discover this error for quite a while.
Using the information they believed to be true, they began exporting large quantities of mummies from Egypt in order to take advantage of all the benefits currently being attributed to these preserved corpses. Apothecaries stocked powdered mummy and also larger sections of the body for the treatment of cuts, bruises, and fractures. The demand grew so large that many merchants took to creating their own ‘mummies’ from the recently dead in order to keep up with demand. By the 18th century, treating patients with mummies was in dramatic decline, and most physicians no longer believed it useful. The last recorded listing of mummy for sale in a medical catalog was 1924.
The Benefits of Blood
Throughout medical history, the blood has always been seen as vitally important to the way our bodies function. It was believed that conquering the blood would be akin to conquering the power between life and death. The ancient Romans thought that by drinking the blood of recently dead gladiators, they could cure epilepsy. Fresh blood was thought to be best, so if you could not afford to buy it there was always the option of vying for a prime spot near the guillotine in order to obtain it straight from the source. Blood was seen as a health tonic of sorts, able to bring back youth and vitality to the aged. It was also believed to be a possible cure for epilepsy and tuberculosis. Dried and powdered blood was also used in the treatment of nosebleeds and put onto wounds in order to stop active bleeding.
Splendid Skulls
Skulls also had their place in historical medicine cabinets. The beneficial attributes of the skull could also be extracted from the moss that commonly grew on them when the skulls themselves were left out in the open, such as on battlefields or in ossuaries. Distillation in alcohol was one of the most common methods of ingesting skull materials. English physician John French had two different recipes for distilled powdered skull. One was recommended for gout, dropsy (edema), and stomach troubles. The other was thought to help with epilepsy, fevers, convulsions, and “passions of the heart”. The moss that grew on skulls was especially prized as a treatment for nosebleeds when applied directly to the affected nostril. This actually might have worked due to the fact that most powdered substances do have the desired effect on blood flow. The demand for skulls and their associated remedies grew so much the 17th century that the English had to import Irish skulls from battlefields in order to keep up.
The “Mellified Man”
One very interesting tale of corpse medicine might be exactly that: a tale. I am referring to the idea of the mellified man. “Mellified” simply means to be embalmed in honey. Honey has long been known to have strong antimicrobial properties, and has been used as a treatment for cuts and scrapes throughout history.
Around the 16th century, accounts of mellified men were uncovered in Chinese medical texts, and that sparked some curiosity. According to these medical texts an elderly male member of the community would volunteer to become mellified for the good of his fellow people. He would then only consume honey: eating, drinking, and even bathing in it. After he died, he would be placed in a stone sarcophagus filled with honey and left for approximately 100 years. When the hundred years had passed, he would be removed and his remains would be portioned out and sold for a steep price in the marketplace.
There are no confirmed reports of people actually consuming this honey-preserved flesh, so it remains a medical history urban legend. We do, however, know that the Egyptians used honey as part of their embalming process, and they also left jars of it as food for the afterlife in the tombs of their pharaohs. Alexander the Great was also entombed in a gold sarcophagus filled with honey.
As we have progressed through medical history, many different ideas and theories were presented as possible treatments to cure what ails us. Corpse medicine may be considered one of the more drastic or unsavory concepts presented. Although when we think about it, it bares quite a few parallels to modern-day organ transplants or blood transfusions. So, is it really that unreasonable?
Thanks, Amanda, for an interesting piece. If you want to learn more about the handling and use of human remains, check out our articles on , , and .
Until next time, stay safe, maintain social distancing while staying emotionally close, and we'll see you on the strange side.
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