The History of Medicine: Surprising Facts About Medical Advancements
From ancient skull surgeries to the accidental discovery of penicillin, the history of medicine is full of bizarre, brilliant, and unexpected breakthroughs. This video uncovers five surprising facts that changed the way we heal, treat, and survive. Get ready to rethink what you know about medical progress—and stick around for the wildest twist in surgical history. Like and subscribe for more mind-blowing stories from the past!
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Did you know that brain surgery existed over 7,000 years ago?
Archaeologists have found ancient skulls with holes drilled into them—a procedure called trepanation.
Even more shocking?
Some patients survived!
These early surgeries were likely done to treat head injuries or release 'evil spirits.' Without anesthesia or antiseptics,
survival was rare, but it shows how far back humans have tried to heal each other.
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In the 19th century, doctors didn’t believe in washing their hands.
Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that women were dying in childbirth more often in hospitals than at home.
He realized doctors were going from autopsies to deliveries without washing up.
When he introduced handwashing with chlorinated lime, death rates plummeted.
Sadly, his ideas were mocked, and he died in an asylum.
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Penicillin, the world’s first true antibiotic, was discovered by accident.
In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find mold growing on a petri dish—and it was killing
bacteria.
That mold was Penicillium notatum.
It took over a decade to mass-produce it, but by World War II, penicillin was saving thousands of
lives.
One careless lab moment changed medicine forever.
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Ever heard of the ‘toad cure’?
In medieval Europe, people believed placing a live toad on a swollen body part could draw out disease.
It sounds absurd now, but it reflects how desperate people were for cures.
Before germ theory, illness was blamed on bad air, curses, or imbalances in bodily fluids.
These strange remedies paved the way for real science.
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The first successful organ transplant wasn’t a heart or kidney—it was a cornea.
In 1905, Austrian doctor Eduard Zirm restored a man’s sight using a donor cornea.
It was a medical miracle at the time.
What’s wild is that this happened before antibiotics were widely used, making infection a huge risk.
Today, corneal transplants are routine, but it all started with one bold experiment.
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