Going to the doctor is not fun, but at least nowadays most procedures are safe and don’t end in infections! Back in the day, people were not so lucky…
Measuring Brain Waves
Back in the 1940s, this is how doctors measured brain waves. This was an early device in neurotechnology.
Cobalt Bomb Machine
Although the name sounds scary, it isn’t as intense as it sounds. This was used to help detect and cure cancer in the early 20th century.
Dental Screw Forceps
Yes, these are what they used for dental procedures back in the Civil War. It was mainly used for root canals and to get rid of cavities.
Mercury Syringe
These rusty syringes are from 1545. It was used to treat syphilis by injecting mercury into their bodies. That is not a recommended treatment nowadays!
Optokinetic Drum
The optokinetic drum was used to see the reflex movements of the eyes and visual illusions. The man in the photo, Dr. G.H. Byford, is wearing contact lenses with a mini lamp cemented to them so they can accurately track the eye movements.
Parturition Chair
This chair was used by mothers in labor. In the early 18th century, a laboring mother would sit in this chair until it was time to push. Then, a midwife would reach up and help pull the baby out.
Pressure Chamber
Winston Churchill made a pressure chamber that was to help test high altitude flights. This tiny, claustrophobic piece of equipment helped ensure safe flying.
The Scarificator
This nifty little device was actually the way that the smallpox vaccination 1874 was administered. Four blades were stabbed into a child’s arm to administer the vaccine. Ouch!
Spermatorrhoea Ring
This device is… horrifying. It was most popular in the 1890s to stop the “ungodly thing” that happened to men… The male organ was placed in the inner ring, and the teeth would be tightened until it was as close as it could be without actually touching it. It was similar to a chastity belt, but much more violent.
Trepanation Kit
These devices are from 1771 and were used to stop epileptic seizures. They would be used on the head to “let the demons out.” Naturally, it was pretty controversial as it caused major changes in patients other than stopping the seizures.
The Utica Crib
This creepy crib was made for mentally unstable people in the New York State Lunatic Asylum. Its sole purpose was to keep patients immobile.
16th Century Tools
The items above were used in war times on the battlefield. These were the most popular among doctors.
Bergonic Chair
This is a photo of a patient undergoing something similar to shock therapy in its early stages. They went for treatment for any psychological cures.
Box Full of Glass Eyes
Glass eyes are still commonly used today, but these older ones are just creepy. The detail is not as realistic as the one’s today, so the lack of life in them are just… eerie.
Cobalt Machine
Cobalt machines were pretty common to treat cancer. This was another, more modern version of the photo before.
Deep Therapy X-Ray
Another big and overwhelming machine to beat cancer. This machine used a beam of 2 million volts to treat cancer.
Bloodletting Fleam
Bloodletting was a pretty popular procedure back in the 1850s. People believed that doing that will detox the body and leave you with a healthy glow. This instrument was used by putting the blade in the vain to drain any blood from the body. It lost its popularity when people realized how many folks died after doing this.
Bone Chainsaw
Yep, this tool is exactly what it sounds like. Civil War doctors used it to remove parts of a bone in an attempt to save the injured limb. Naturally, this wasn’t sanitary and many soldiers got infected and died.
Electric Bath
The chamber photographed is actually an “electric bath” used to treat chronic illnesses. According to medical notes, it was pretty helpful for those dealing with chronic pain back then.
Electr0-Retinogram
Patients had to put that device on their face to measure the electric potential of their retina’s.
Electrocardiograph
You are looking at the first electrocardiograph machine of its kind. It’s like pretty much like the EKG’s grandfather.
Flu Mask
This woman is rocking a crazy flu mask in 1919. After WWI was over, the flu epidemic broke out. This is a way people protected themselves.
17th Century Brass Syringe
This enema syringe looks like it was for the most bougie patients!
Pre-PET Headgear
Can you imagine having to sit in this contraption? This was an old school way to study the human brain.
Medical Humanoid
These figures were actually human-size figures that would be killed with sodium chloride. Scientists would then use that to measure radioactivity.
Ivory Enema Syringe
Yet another enema syringe, this time from 18th century Sri Lanka. Apparently, they really look pride in what their enema syringes looked like back in the day.
“Jedi” Helmets
Back in the 80s, these helmets were used with MRI scanners to look at the brain. They were called Jedi Helmets in order to make it less scary for kids since Star Wars was taking off.
Artificial Kidney Machine
The artificial kidney functions as a real kidney, but instead, the poor patient has to be hooked up to this machine. It’s just like an iron lung, but… For a kidney!
Huge Eye Models
These giant eyes were designed specifically for aeromedical research. They are pretty impressive!
Model Eye
This eye was developed by optometrists in the 1940s to research opticals. It was used until the late 1900s.
The Plastic Man
Chemist Wright H. Langham used this plastic humanoid to research radioactivity in the human body. It was used to stimulate human radiation exposures.
Portable Respirator
The portable respirator is the easier and less permanent version of an iron lung. This lets patients recover at home without medical supervision.Â
Ray Therapy
Ultraviolet light ray therapy is a super eerie type of treatment. This photo does look like it’s straight out of a horror movie, but this is what it actually looked like!
Belgian Iron Mask
This iron mask from the 1550s was used to publically humiliate women for doing anything that was outside the societal norm. That included fighting, speaking out of term, lying, or anything else, she had to wear this mask to keep her quiet.
Self Enema
This made enema’s pretty easy! You can do it yourself and it looks nice.
A Medical Steed
In a weird twist, this creepy little horse was used to keep kids calm while they were getting x-rays.
Steel Arm
This is a common fake arm that amputee’s used back in the day. The fingers kind of look like Edward Scissorhands!
Blood Stimulator
What a creepy image! These are giant cylinders that were used to stimulate blood in patients’ legs.
Therapy Unit
This is how doctors administered radioactive cesium-137 through this device to kill diseased tissue. It put out the max dose of radiation to the cancerous spot with minimizing effects to healthy tissue. Very similar to radiation therapy today!
Wire Suit
This guy doesn’t look too happy to be sitting in that bodysuit! This was designed to measure body temperature when testing the effects of high speed and space travel. It was invented in 1960.
Tobacco Smoke Enema
Whoops, another enema! Look, these things were popular, okay? This particular enema blew tobacco smoke into the rectum for medical reasons, such as saving drowning victims.
Dental Key
Yes, this is the device they used to pull teeth. The claw would be secured into the tooth while the bolster was placed on the root. Then, with a twist and a pull, the tooth was out. This usually caused more problems.
Osteotome
This device was invented after the classic Civil War bone saws. It was used to amputations and made it quicker and safer, causing the bone to splinter less.
Artificial Leech
Another bloodletting device, this time used mainly in eye and ear surgeries.
Lithotome
Doctors used this weird little device to cut out bladder stones. If you couldn’t tell, this is a very old piece of equipment and was used in the pre-anesthetic days.
Trephine
This was an old-timey tool to stop epileptic seizures and mental illnesses by puncturing the patient’s skull. It’s extremely painful and totally unethical.
Hernia Tool
Doctors back in the day would secure this to a patients hernia and leave it secured there for over a week to heal… Doesn’t look comfortable at all.
Skull Saw
Back in the 1830s through 1860s, doctors would use this saw to cut into their patient’s skulls for surgery.
Ecraseur
In order to remove tumors, polyps, and hemorrhoids, doctors would have to use this loop tool in order to access places like the esophagus, larynx, uterus, and ovaries.
Tonsil Guillotine
Imagine having your tonsils getting taken out by this thing?! Doctors in the mid-1800s would remove tonsils in patients with this bizarre device. Using this, patients would commonly hemorrhage and die.
Bullet Extractor
The bullet extractor was long enough to get to any part of the body in order to get the bullet out. The screw at the end could pierce the bullet and pull it out.
Cervical Dilator
These tongs were used to measure how far along a woman was in labor back in the 1800s. They look simple, but they commonly cause tears in the cervix which were incredibly painful and hard to heal.
Mouth Gag
In order to prevent airway closure during a seizure, this wooden gag would be placed in a person’s mouth to keep them open and breathing.
Dental Phantom
Even though this is absolutely horrifying to see, this helped dentists practice on teeth. They were real teeth from dead people placed into this weird metal helmet.
Stricture Divulsor
Almost like a catheter, this would be used to open up the pathway of a man’s urethra. Ouch.
Iron Lung
These were popular during the polio outbreak, as many people needed help breathing who were infected.
Jet Injector
This is a needleless injecting device that used pressurized air to penetrate the skin with medicine or vaccine. The device was made in the 1960s to fight smallpox.
Freckle Removal
Simply a cosmetic surgery, this is how some people tried to remove their freckles in the 1930s.
Blood Circulation Therapy
This is a way that helped people get their blood circulating through their body if they have trouble.
Contagion Bubble
Look, it’s the boy in the bubble!