The Weirdest Things We Learned in Season 1

Smoke Enemas

Smoke enemas, a bizarre medical practice from history, involved blowing tobacco smoke into a patient's rectum. Rachel Feltman recounts how these devices, resembling bellows, were once common along waterways like the Thames, intended as a resuscitation method for drowning victims 1. The practice was preferred over mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which was considered vulgar at the time. Feltman humorously notes the irony of societal norms:

Mouth to mouth was considered vulgar in many circles. But blowing tobacco smoke up someone else's butt was not a thing that they felt was gross.

--- Rachel Feltman

This strange medical intervention highlights how perceptions of medical practices have evolved over time 2.

   

Medical Cannibalism

Medical cannibalism, another peculiar historical practice, involved using human remains for medicinal purposes. Jason Lederman and Rachel Feltman discuss how this practice was particularly prevalent during the Victorian era, a time marked by rapid scientific advancements and existential crises 3. The era's bizarre behaviors, like consuming mummies for health benefits, were seen as a societal adolescence. Feltman reflects on this period:

The Victorian era was just full of all of this bizarre behavior because people were kind of having this existential crisis about the sudden breakneck speed of scientific discoveries.

--- Rachel Feltman

This historical context provides insight into how societal changes can influence medical practices 4.