Weird Cures: The Most Hilarious, Disgusting and Downright Dangerous Medical Treatments Ever

Through the ages, hilarious, horrifying and preposterous cures have been foisted upon the gullible in their quest for good health. This fun look at medical history is a compendium of some of the most bizarre treatments, which will fascinate and astonish you. Many of the cures are beyond belief - for example: Mercury, now known to be highly toxic, was once thought to draw poison from the body, and was even administered for routine ills like constipation and toothaches; and Strappado, a technique in which patients are strapped to ladders and dropped from significant heights, was used to correct spinal misalignments. It is now considered torture.