In todays social media world, weird trends to help with our health and appearance can seem commonplace. From the baby foot trend and acid peels to an obsession with avocados and quinoa. But in the past, health and fitness fads had far more dramatic consequences.
Even after the age of enlightenment when approaches to health and medicine became more scientific, the doctors of previous eras often got things very, very wrong.
In the early 1900s, radioactive drinks were promoted to help prevent ill health, but it wasn’t until some time later that it became apparent that these drinks could actually cause a multitude of side effects such as nausea and headaches.
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century, similar medical discoveries were causing the general public harm. Perhaps most famous of all was the use of cocaine and tobacco. Cocaine was believed to help with most ailments and was promoted by such famous medical professionals as William Halsted and Sigmund Freud. Freud even took the substance daily, claiming it helped with both depression and digestion.
For more unusual remedies that caused more harm than good, read on to see the full infographic by Grey Haze.
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