The history of medicine is so vast and eyebrow raising that you would be forgiven for asking how we, as a species, managed to survive this long without accidentally wiping the lot of us off the planet. With the last episode ending in the Medieval period there are still centuries of crazy and hilarious medical practices to comb through and they're nothing short of baffling to say the least.
From traveling tooth pullers yanking out your wisdom teeth to the rhythm of a drum, to deformities in children thanks entirely to the mother of the child looking at... anything at all before the child was born, and cures for syphilis involving taking a hand drill to a gentleman's family jewels, join Hayley this week as she continues her look into the crazy medical procedures that helped us to, albeit eventually, understand how the human body works and how to cure any ailments that may arise.
Word of warning, if in future you need to go to the hospital and you hear that the doctor examining you is Dr Hayley - I would highly recommend leaving as soon as possible. Unless you're into the kind of treatments that have more chance of putting you in the ground than keeping you above it, you freak.
This episode was presented by Hayley O'Connor and joined by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Make sure to follow us on our social media pages! Just search for "That's Old News" on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X, or head to the linktree in the podcast's about section!
Chatpers:
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(00:00) Intro
(00:45) Episode Start
(01:23) Medieval Procedures
(07:49) The "Trotula"
(08:50) William of Saliceto, and treating tortured patients
(13:03) Hildegard of Bingen, the Gwyneth Paltrow of the 12th Century
(19:50) Renaissance Procedures
(21:20) King Charles II's Unfortunate End
(30:30) Syphillis
(43:23) Post Show Banter
