The road to modern medicine has been a long one, and doctors have come up with a variety of tools along the way. But some of the early iterations were, shall we say, a little crude. Here are seven of the more cringe-inducing instruments from medicine’s past.
1. Artificial leeches
When in the 1800s live leeches were unavailable, or perhaps too gross, this metal cylinder with blades performed the same function. Its rotating blades cut into the skin, while the tube suctioned the blood out. A similar tool, called a scarificator, used up to 10 spring-loaded blades. They quickly sliced into the skin, then the device was heated to create the vacuum.
