Human skulls used for neurological remedies

Abstract

The custom of treating seizures by drinking the blood of gladiators and by using bone marrow and the brains of children, was described by Pliny the Elder, Roman author and military commander, in the 1st century AD.1Pliny the Elder. Natural History. Book 28, chapter 2.Google Scholar The use of human body parts in remedies for neurological disorders—skulls in particular—persisted in Europe even until the beginning of the 20th century. For example, in the 16th century, German workers at the Royal Mint in London, UK, fell ill. To heal them, severed heads were boiled and the skulls were turned into cups to administer medicine to the ill workers.2Sugg R Mummies, cannibals and vampires. The history of corpse medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians. Routledge, London2015Crossref Scopus (3) Google Scholar During that century, surgeons (George Barrough and Thomas Brugis) and physicians (Jonathan Goddard) also recommended powdered skulls as a remedy for seizures.2Sugg R Mummies, cannibals and vampires. The history of corpse medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians. Routledge, London2015Crossref Scopus (3) Google Scholar After having a seizure in 1685, Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was administered medicinal drops made using a skull; he was also encouraged to drink alcohol from a cup made from a skull in hopes of a speedy cure.3Ransom S Death by doctoring.Nexus (Maleny). Oct–Nov, 2002; : 33-38Google Scholar These treatments were not successful, and Charles II died 5 days later. Drops made using a skull were also administered in 1695 to the dying Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, for pain relief.3Ransom S Death by doctoring.Nexus (Maleny). Oct–Nov, 2002; : 33-38Google Scholar In Ternary of Paradoxes,4van Helmont JB Ortus medicinæ: id est initia physicæ inaudita. progressus medicinae novus, in morborum ultionem, ad vitam longam. Elsevier, Amsterdam1648Google Scholar the Belgian physician Jean Baptiste van Helmont recommends the use of a grated human skull for its healing properties for a variety of medical conditions. Additionally, the human skull was listed as a curative agent in the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis,5Pharmacopoeia LondinensisCorrected and amended by Salmon W.5th edn. I Dawks, London1696Google Scholar a part of the catalogue that apothecaries kept in their shops. The use of human skulls lingered in medicine until as late as 1909, when a boy with epilepsy in Scotland, after receiving unsuccessful conventional medical treatment, was asked to drink out of a skull-pan by a healer.6Stapelberg MM Through the darkness: glimpses into the history of western medicine. Crux Publishing, London2016Google Scholar