Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Traditional western medicine: 1632

And not far from this Garden, in a sandy Desart, is the place called Mommeis, which are innumerable Caves cut foorth of a Rocke, whereunto the Corpes of the most men in Cayro, are carried and interred. Which dead bodies remayne alwayes unputrified, neyther yeeld they a stinking smell: Whereof experiments are plentiful at this day, by the whole Bodies, Hands, or other parts, which by Merchants are now brought from thence, and doth make the Mummia which Apothecaries use: The colour being very blacke, and the flesh clung unto the bones.
--From The totall discourse of the rare adventures...--

So, pharmacists would take the mummified copes of humans and use them in medicine. The tiger penises they use in traditional Chinese medicine sound pretty tame in comparison.

3 comments:

Trooper York said...

There is an apothecary (sic) on
32nd Street in Koreatown in Manhattan where you can buy all of that stuff. Rhino horn, bear liver the whole nine yards.

Trooper York said...

I hear Rhino horn is better than Viagra.

Trooper York said...

Not that I need that you understand. I just heard talk.