Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
How DANGEROUS was the medicine of the past? In this medical history documentary from History Calling we look at some of the most famous medical treatments employed by our ancestors that we would now consider to be at best useless and at worst nothing short of murder or attempted murder by killer doctors. As we explore the history of medicine, you’ll find out what trepanning was and why you don’t ever want to be subjected to it. We’ll look at how the English tried to battle the Great Plague of 1665 with masks and herbs. You’ll hear how the practice of bleeding nearly wiped out the French royal succession and what killed President George Washington, why Elizabeth I was lucky to survive smallpox given the bizarre treatment she was subjected to, the poisons like mercury administered for centuries as though they were medicines (plus whether Abraham Lincoln had mercury poisoning), the attempts to combine religion with medicine that involved supposedly magic rings and dead bodies, the recipe for a healing ointment invented by Henry VIII, the bonkers idea that smoking was somehow beneficial and so many more. I’ll also show you some medical instruments from the past used for these murderous medical treatments, including drills for the skull and lancets for drawing blood. Stay til the end of the video and I’ll even share with you one medieval medical treatment that actually worked and saved the life of a future King of England. By the end of the video you’ll understand why doctors were dangerous in the past, including as recently as the 20th century in some cases and why the sick and injured might have been better off going it alone back in the day.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
MEDICAL HISTORY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0E7oXrh07NVR_gi4CVgrSI1
THE KING WHO WAS SHOT IN THE FACE
youtu.be/SzzkZ5hm5JA
ENGLAND’S PLAGUE VILLAGE
youtu.be/qTmAqbo4wVw
HOW WE BEAT SMALLPOX
youtu.be/h6QDH6k_-RU
WAS CHILDBIRTH REALLY THAT DANGEROUS?
youtu.be/b-2fSXYU8uY
DOCTOR MIKE’S VIDEO ‘THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT GWYNETH PALTROW AND GOOP’
youtube.com/watch?v=xlbi26qhCdQ
LEARN MORE:
What exactly is cupping?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-exactly-is-cupping-2016093010402
Miguel A Faria, ‘Neolithic trepanation decoded- A unifying hypothesis: Has the mystery as to why primitive surgeons performed cranial surgery been solved?’ in Surgery Neurology International (2015).
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4427816
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone amzn.to/39hROZm
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3rTWScL
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
Microphone: amzn.to/3rYtjH8
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#HistoryOfMedicine #MedicalHistory #HistoricalMedicalTreatments
How DANGEROUS was the medicine of the past? In this medical history documentary from History Calling we look at some of the most famous medical treatments employed by our ancestors that we would now consider to be at best useless and at worst nothing short of murder or attempted murder by killer doctors. As we explore the history of medicine, you’ll find out what trepanning was and why you don’t ever want to be subjected to it. We’ll look at how the English tried to battle the Great Plague of 1665 with masks and herbs. You’ll hear how the practice of bleeding nearly wiped out the French royal succession and what killed President George Washington, why Elizabeth I was lucky to survive smallpox given the bizarre treatment she was subjected to, the poisons like mercury administered for centuries as though they were medicines (plus whether Abraham Lincoln had mercury poisoning), the attempts to combine religion with medicine that involved supposedly magic rings and dead bodies, the recipe for a healing ointment invented by Henry VIII, the bonkers idea that smoking was somehow beneficial and so many more. I’ll also show you some medical instruments from the past used for these murderous medical treatments, including drills for the skull and lancets for drawing blood. Stay til the end of the video and I’ll even share with you one medieval medical treatment that actually worked and saved the life of a future King of England. By the end of the video you’ll understand why doctors were dangerous in the past, including as recently as the 20th century in some cases and why the sick and injured might have been better off going it alone back in the day.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
MEDICAL HISTORY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0E7oXrh07NVR_gi4CVgrSI1
THE KING WHO WAS SHOT IN THE FACE
youtu.be/SzzkZ5hm5JA
ENGLAND’S PLAGUE VILLAGE
youtu.be/qTmAqbo4wVw
HOW WE BEAT SMALLPOX
youtu.be/h6QDH6k_-RU
WAS CHILDBIRTH REALLY THAT DANGEROUS?
youtu.be/b-2fSXYU8uY
DOCTOR MIKE’S VIDEO ‘THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT GWYNETH PALTROW AND GOOP’
youtube.com/watch?v=xlbi26qhCdQ
LEARN MORE:
What exactly is cupping?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-exactly-is-cupping-2016093010402
Miguel A Faria, ‘Neolithic trepanation decoded- A unifying hypothesis: Has the mystery as to why primitive surgeons performed cranial surgery been solved?’ in Surgery Neurology International (2015).
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4427816
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone amzn.to/39hROZm
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3rTWScL
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
Microphone: amzn.to/3rYtjH8
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#HistoryOfMedicine #MedicalHistory #HistoricalMedicalTreatments
