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According to Ancient Origins, the development of antibiotics and antibiotic treatment is considered the greatest achievement of modern medicine. However, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics leads to drug resistance in microorganisms.
Alternative treatments have been used to treat infections since ancient times, but none have been as reliably safe and effective as modern antibiotic treatments. So what was it like to treat infections before antibiotics were developed in the early 20th century?
Blood, Leeches and Knives
Bloodletting has been used as a medical therapy for over 3,000 years. It originated in Egypt in 1000 BC and was used until the mid-20th century.
A man is getting blood drawn to treat an infection. (Photo: Pin it).
Medical texts from antiquity until 1940 record bloodletting as being used in many circumstances, but especially for infectious diseases. As late as 1942, in the 14th edition of William Osler’s “Principles and Practice of Medicine”the preeminent textbook of internal medicine of historical significance, mentioned the method of bloodletting in the treatment of pneumonia.
Bloodletting is based on an ancient medical theory that four body fluids, or “pandemic”(including blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile) must be in balance to maintain health. Infections were thought to be caused by an excess of blood, so blood was taken from the patient.
One method involves making an incision in a vein or artery, but it is not the only one. Cupping is also a popular method, in which hot glass cups are placed on the skin, creating a vacuum, breaking small blood vessels and causing large areas of subcutaneous bleeding. The most gruesome method involves using leeches to suck blood.
Interestingly, although bloodletting was supposed to be performed by doctors, it was performed by barbers, or “haircut-surgery”. The red and white striped barber shop sign originated as “advertisement” For bloodletting services, red represents blood and white represents bandages.
There may actually be some benefit to this—at least for some bacteria early in the disease. Many bacteria need iron to replicate, and iron is carried on hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells. In theory, fewer red blood cells means less iron to sustain bacterial infection.
