Researchers have uncovered a shocking historical treatment for baldness, revealing just how unconventional medical practices were in the Renaissance era. The bizarre remedy was documented in a 16th-century book detailing common medications and health practices of the time.
Medicine has evolved dramatically since the Renaissance, a period spanning the 16th century, when treatments ranged from leeches to obscure herbal remedies. But the newly studied manuscript shows that some cures were not only ineffective but downright revolting.
The book, held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, was published in 1531 by German eye doctor Bartholomäus Vogtherr. It provides insight into how common health issues were treated hundreds of years ago. For example, heart ailments were sometimes addressed with natural remedies like agarwood, believed to restore normal heartbeat, while headaches were treated with cinnamon smoked through a tobacco pipe.
However, aesthetic treatments could be far more disturbing. To combat baldness, the book recommended smearing human feces on the scalp. Other hair treatments included using ground lizard heads, while mouth ulcers were advised to be treated with hippopotamus teeth.
Researchers noted that the book contains handwritten annotations and chemical traces, suggesting that some owners may have attempted the remedies themselves. Co-author Gleb Zilberstein reported discovering traces of bodily fluids, sweat, and other contaminants on the manuscript, offering a rare glimpse into historical medical experimentation.
Not all treatments were extreme. Some were relatively harmless and relied on holistic approaches. Ingredients such as beech tree extracts, watercress, and rosemary were recommended to promote hair growth and reduce hair loss.
This discovery highlights both the ingenuity and the sometimes grotesque lengths to which humans have gone in the pursuit of health and beauty throughout history.
