Experts expose disgusting historic means of utilizing human waste to remedy baldness
While many people might jet off to Turkey in order to avoid going bald, an old experimental procedure has been unearthed that could help cure the condition – but it’s not pretty
If you were treating baldness in the 16th century, it would involve some disgusting material (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
Experts have unearthed a disgusting cure for baldness humans used hundreds of years ago. The uncovential remedy was revealed in a book on medications used in the Renaissance era.
Medicine has come a long way since the Renaissance, which took place during the 16th century. Throughout the centuries, humanity has gone from the belief that leeches could draw illnesses out to the most advanced technology helping us to live longer.
But now, researchers have uncovered a book from the 1500s which has revealed just some of the incredibly revolting ways that common ailments could be cured. While some are relatively pain-free and aromatic, others are downright vile.
Scientists from the University of Manchester uncovered the book held at the John Rylands Library in the centre of the city which dates back to 1531. Published by a German eye doctor by the name of Bartholomäus Vogtherr, it tackled some of the most common health issues that people of the time were suffering from, according to the Sun.
For some illnesses, doctors were told to go into nature and help to find natural remedies. For example, if a patient was suffering from heart problems, it would be best to seek out some agarwood to help clear the heart and restore a normal heartbeat.
Headaches were also a common problem for people before the invention of paracetamol, with the book calling for patients to drink cinnamon from a tobacco pipe. However, some other disgusting practices were used to treat more aesthetic problems, including smearing human faeces on the top of the head to cure baldness.
Other bizarre treatments included using lizard heads that had been grounded to a pulp in order to maintain strong hair. Mouth ulcers were also called to be remedied using the teeth from a hippo.
Researchers have never known whether the owner of the book had actually attempted any of the treatments themselves. However, it is believed that by identifying handwritten notes in the book, as well as fingerprints, that people added their own ways of treating illnesses.
Studies conducted on the book found there were chemical spills on the book, suggesting that the owners were ready and willing to try the strange methods out for themselves. Co-author of the study Gleb Zilberstein said there were various bodily fluids found on the book.
“These traces include components of sweat, sometimes saliva, metabolites, contaminants, and environmental components,” he explained. In total, 111 different proteins from the book were processed without damaging the thin fibres of the book.
However, not every treatment was particularly vile, and some methods were actually quite harmless, albeit rather holistic. Some ingredients mentioned to accelerate the growth of facial hair and reduce hair loss included the beech tree, as well as watercress and rosemary.
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