5 gruesome devices from days gone by

Thank goodness for science. We looked at some of history’s most gruesome procedures and devices, and decided we definitely prefer today’s contemporary contraptions

1 - Trepanning

Not strictly a device, trepanning was actually a procedure in which holes were drilled or scraped into the skull. It was basically used on anybody considered ‘mad’ and rarely resulted in anything other than death. So why do it? Well, medieval doctors believed that ‘madness’ was actually caused by possession by evil spirits. Of course, centuries later lobotomy would surface as a popular ‘method’ for treating mental illness - and has thankfully since been widely discredited.

2 - Urinary catheters

The catheters of days-gone were a very different - and far more unpleasant - affair than the common device we know today. These painful-looking implements were inserted directly into the bladder and were especially prominent in medical usage throughout early history to a high incidence of syphilis and other diseases that caused urinary blockages.

3 - Iron lung

Iron lungs aren’t particularly gruesome, and in fact they were essential during the polio epidemic of the 20th century. However they do have a certain unsettling appearance.

4 - Darwin-Coxe Machine

This unpleasant piece of equipment was used to swing mental illness patients back and forth until they remained quiet. This machine was used in Vienna, Austria, in the early part of the 20th century.

5 - Dieulafoy aspirator

Largely redundant now thanks to the rise of aseptic techniques, the Dieulafoy aspirator was used to remove substances like mucus from infected parts of the body. Nice!