Weird Medieval Medical Practices (Part 2): Leeches, Urine, and a Touch of Astrology
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Weird Medieval Medical Practices (Part 2): Leeches, Urine, and a Touch of Astrology
If you think modern medicine can be a bit strange, you’ve clearly never met its medieval ancestor. In part one, we explored the bizarre world of powdered unicorn horn and plague doctor beaks. Now, we’re diving even deeper into the apothecary’s cauldron to uncover treatments that range from the mildly questionable to the “absolutely not, thank you.”
1. The Urine Taste Test
Medieval doctors genuinely believed they could diagnose illnesses by smelling, examining, and even tasting a patient’s urine. Known as “uroscopy,” this practice was so respected that physicians carried ornate glass flasks to hold their samples. Colour, cloudiness, and — disturbingly — flavour were all considered valuable diagnostic clues.
💡 Fun fact: Uroscopy charts from the 14th century resemble medieval rainbow wheels, mapping urine colours to specific diseases.
2. Bloodletting for Just About Everything
Got a headache? Feeling sluggish? Cursed by an enemy? Time to bleed! Medieval physicians often prescribed bloodletting — with leeches or a lancet — to rebalance the body’s four humours: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The more serious the illness, the more blood they’d let. (Modern doctors, unsurprisingly, do not recommend this as a cure for “general malaise.”)
3. Astrology-Based Surgery
Believe it or not, some surgeries and medical procedures were scheduled based on the position of the planets. Medieval medical astrology advised against operating when the moon was in a sign that “governs” the affected body part — because obviously, that’s when bad things happen. This meant your gallbladder removal could be postponed for weeks if Mars wasn’t feeling cooperative.
4. Live Animal Poultices
Why bother with herbs when you can strap a live pigeon to your foot? Yes, that was a thing — pigeons, frogs, and even puppies were sometimes applied to the skin to “draw out” illness. The logic was… let’s just say “creative.” Animal heat and vitality were thought to counteract the sickness. Unfortunately, the animals rarely survived the treatment.
Why We’re Weirdly Fascinated by This Stuff
We might laugh at medieval medicine now, but it was built on a genuine desire to heal — even if the methods seem bonkers today. And in a few hundred years, who knows? People might look back at our detox teas, cryo chambers, and snail slime facials with the same incredulous amusement.
💡 Fun fact: Some medieval remedies did work — honey for wounds (antibacterial), willow bark for pain (contains aspirin), and even leeches for certain blood conditions are still in use today.