Apr 26, 2026 · 12 min · 11 segments
If you were feeling sickly 100 years ago, your doctor might have prescribed a loincloth, a bed, and a sun-drenched balcony in the Swiss Alps. No blood tests or scans — your degree of tan would…
Medical history is full of treatments that harmed more patients than they healed.
It's easy to be smug in retrospect now that we know heavy metals are a thing and the four humors aren't.
But one historical cure, even with the benefit of hindsight, does warrant mockery.
I'm neurologist Dr. Sarah Hulpe, and this is Unhealthy Curiosity, where I explore the body's features and flaws.
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Medical history is full of treatments that harmed more patients than they healed.
It's easy to be smug in retrospect now that we know heavy metals are a thing and the four humors aren't.
But one historical cure, even with the benefit of hindsight, does warrant mockery.
I'm neurologist Dr. Sarah Hulpe, and this is Unhealthy Curiosity, where I explore the body's features and flaws.