10 Bizzare Medical Treatments That Actually Worked

The history of medicine is, in many respects, the history of human imagination pressed into the service of survival. When confronted with the inscrutable mysteries of illness, our ancestors often reached for remedies that seem, to the modern mind, almost grotesque in their oddity. Yet, in the annals of healing, strangeness and efficacy have not always been mutually exclusive. Indeed, some of the most bizarre treatments ever attempted did not merely capture the desperation of their age but, astonishingly, produced results that saved lives.

To survey these practices is to glimpse the evolving relationship between knowledge, superstition, and experimentation. What appears laughable or macabre from the vantage of the twenty-first century may once have been the very pinnacle of medical ingenuity. Maggots, leeches, worms, induced fevers, even poisons—all were pressed into therapeutic service, often with effects that anticipated modern science in unexpected ways.

This list, therefore, is not merely a catalog of oddities; it is a reminder of the provisional nature of all knowledge. Each entry reveals how human beings, groping in the half-light of limited understanding, could nonetheless stumble upon methods that worked. In their strangeness lies both caution and inspiration for medicine today:

Related: 10 Weirdest Medical Hoaxes in History

10 Maggot Therapy for Wound Healing

When most people think of maggots, they imagine decay, filth, and disease. Yet in the world of medicine, these wriggling larvae have proven themselves as lifesaving healers. Maggot therapy, also known as larval debridement therapy, has been used for centuries in different cultures but re-emerged in modern medicine during World War I and again in the late 20th century when doctors needed alternatives for treating stubborn wounds.

The principle is both simple and shocking: sterilized fly larvae are introduced into an infected or necrotic wound. Once placed inside the wound dressing, the maggots feed exclusively on dead tissue, sparing the living flesh around it. They secrete powerful enzymes that liquefy necrotic tissue, which the larvae then consume, effectively cleaning the wound in ways that scalpels and scrubbing cannot.

What makes this bizarre treatment even more remarkable is its effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant infections. Maggots release antimicrobial secretions that help eliminate harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In a medical age increasingly threatened by superbugs, this old-world remedy provides a surprisingly reliable solution.

Beyond their antimicrobial properties, maggots stimulate wound healing by promoting the growth of granulation tissue. For patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure sores, or wounds that refuse to heal through conventional means, maggot therapy can literally mean the difference between keeping a limb and amputation.

Of course, maggot therapy comes with its challenges. Many patients are understandably horrified at the idea of living creatures crawling inside their wounds. To reduce distress, doctors typically use specialized dressings that conceal the larvae while allowing them to work. Still, the mental image alone is enough to make some recoil.

Despite the revulsion factor, maggot therapy is recognized by health organizations worldwide, including the FDA, which cleared medical-grade maggots as a prescription-only treatment in 2004. Today, maggot therapy clinics exist across the United States, Europe, and Asia, offering patients a scientifically backed, though unsettling, alternative to traditional wound care.

What started as an ancient battlefield remedy has now become a scientifically validated medical technique. The lesson? Sometimes the strangest solutions are the most effective—even if they make our skin crawl.^[1]

9 Leeches for Blood Circulation

For most people, leeches evoke images of murky swamps and unwanted parasites clinging to skin. But in medicine, these slimy creatures have enjoyed a long and surprisingly effective career. Known formally as hirudotherapy, leech therapy dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, Greece, and India, where it was once tied to the belief that balancing bodily “humors” could cure disease. While the humoral theory itself has long been discredited, the leech has survived in modern hospitals—not as superstition, but as a scientifically proven treatment.

The secret lies in the leech’s saliva. When a leech attaches itself to skin, it injects a potent cocktail of biologically active compounds. Chief among these is hirudin, a powerful anticoagulant that prevents blood clotting. This allows continuous blood flow in delicate surgical areas where clots might otherwise form and cause tissue death.

Today, leech therapy is particularly valuable in reconstructive and plastic surgery. After procedures such as skin grafts, reattachment of fingers, or even ear and nose reconstruction, tiny blood vessels often struggle to reestablish normal circulation. Venous congestion—when blood enters tissue but cannot drain effectively—can cause grafts or reattached parts to fail. By applying leeches, surgeons can relieve this congestion, ensuring blood keeps moving until new veins develop naturally.

Beyond surgery, researchers are studying leech saliva for broader therapeutic applications. Some compounds show promise in treating cardiovascular conditions, deep vein thrombosis, and arthritis. The leech’s anticoagulant properties, once seen as a medieval oddity, may hold the key to novel drug development.

Of course, leech therapy is not without drawbacks. Patients often recoil at the idea of having live creatures latched onto them, and there is a risk of infection if the leeches are not raised and sterilized under medical-grade conditions. For this reason, modern medical leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) are carefully bred and disposed of after a single use to ensure safety.

Despite these challenges, leeches remain FDA-approved medical devices and are stocked in many surgical hospitals worldwide. They represent a rare case where a treatment once dismissed as primitive “bloodletting” has returned with renewed scientific legitimacy.^[2]

8 Trepanation: Drilling Holes in the Skull

Few medical practices sound more horrifying than trepanation, the deliberate act of drilling or scraping a hole into the human skull. While it conjures images of medieval torture, trepanation has been practiced for thousands of years, with evidence found in prehistoric skeletons across Africa, Europe, and South America. Remarkably, many of those patients survived, as shown by the bone healing around the surgical holes.

Historically, trepanation was performed for a wide range of ailments—from treating head trauma and seizures to releasing “evil spirits.” For centuries, it was rooted in spiritual and superstitious beliefs. Yet modern medicine has shown that in certain cases, the practice actually worked.

One of the clearest examples is the treatment of intracranial pressure. Head injuries, bleeding in the brain, or swelling due to infection can cause dangerous pressure inside the skull, leading to neurological damage or death. By drilling a small hole, surgeons could relieve this pressure, saving the patient’s life. Today, a more refined version of this procedure, known as burr-hole trephination or decompressive surgery, is a standard neurosurgical practice.

Trepanation also offered relief for patients with compound skull fractures. In the absence of modern surgical tools, removing bone fragments and opening the skull cavity prevented fatal infections and allowed better healing. Ancient surgeons may not have fully understood the biology, but trial and error taught them that the procedure could save lives.

What is truly astonishing is the survival rate. Archaeological findings suggest that many patients lived for years after undergoing trepanation, often multiple times. This indicates a surprising degree of surgical skill among ancient practitioners, who relied on primitive stone tools yet managed to avoid fatal damage to the brain.

In the modern era, trepanation has occasionally attracted fringe advocates who claim it can increase consciousness or relieve depression by enhancing blood flow to the brain. These theories lack solid scientific support and are considered highly dangerous outside of controlled medical settings. Still, the legitimate medical legacy of trepanation cannot be ignored.

Though primitive in appearance, trepanation stands as one of humanity’s earliest successful surgical interventions. It shows how even ancient healers, working with crude instruments and limited knowledge, stumbled upon a practice that foreshadowed the highly advanced neurosurgery of today.^[3]

7 Fecal Transplants for Gut Health

Few treatments sound more revolting than a fecal transplant, yet this bizarre-sounding procedure has saved countless lives. Also known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), the treatment involves transferring stool from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a sick patient. While the idea of ingesting or receiving another person’s feces may make most people cringe, the science behind it is surprisingly powerful.

FMT is primarily used to treat severe infections caused by Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a dangerous bacterium that can cause life-threatening diarrhea, colitis, and dehydration. Traditional antibiotics often fail against C. diff because they not only kill harmful bacteria but also wipe out the beneficial microbes that protect the gut. This creates a vicious cycle in which the infection keeps returning.

A fecal transplant works by restoring balance to the patient’s gut microbiome. Donor stool, which is screened carefully for diseases, contains trillions of healthy bacteria that recolonize the intestines, crowding out the harmful C. diff bacteria. The results can be dramatic: studies show success rates as high as 90%, often with rapid relief of symptoms within days.

While C. diff remains the most common use case, researchers are now exploring FMT as a potential treatment for other conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis, obesity, and even neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Early findings suggest that the gut microbiome may play a much bigger role in overall health than previously imagined.

The methods of administration have also evolved. In its earliest modern form, FMT involved delivering donor stool via colonoscopy or enema. Today, researchers are developing “poop pills”—capsules containing freeze-dried donor material that patients can swallow without undergoing invasive procedures. These capsules make the therapy far more acceptable for many patients who would otherwise hesitate.

Despite its proven effectiveness, FMT is not without controversy. Regulatory agencies like the FDA strictly control its use to ensure donor material is safe, as there have been rare cases of infections transmitted during the process. Still, the overall success has led to growing acceptance within mainstream medicine, and FDA-approved microbiome therapies for recurrent C. diff are now available.

Fecal transplants highlight one of medicine’s strangest paradoxes: sometimes, the key to curing a deadly infection is not a futuristic drug or surgery, but the most humble and unglamorous of human byproducts.^[4]

6 Helminth Therapy: Treating Illness with Parasitic Worms

The idea of swallowing live worms as a form of medical treatment might sound like something out of a nightmare. Yet, under controlled conditions, helminth therapy—the deliberate introduction of parasitic worms into the human body—has shown intriguing potential for certain immune-related diseases.

The concept emerged from the “hygiene hypothesis,” which suggests that modern cleanliness and the near-elimination of parasites have left our immune systems overactive and prone to attacking the body itself. In contrast, populations exposed to intestinal worms tend to have lower rates of autoimmune disorders, allergies, and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Researchers began experimenting with this connection in the late 20th century. By introducing carefully selected helminths—such as pig whipworm eggs (Trichuris suis ova) or hookworm larvae—scientists found that some patients with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and even asthma experienced improvements. The worms appear to calm the immune system by triggering anti-inflammatory responses.

For example, early clinical trials suggested that Crohn’s disease patients who ingested pig whipworm eggs showed remission rates higher than placebo groups. Other small studies reported reduced allergic reactions and better control of multiple sclerosis symptoms when patients were exposed to benign parasitic infections.

The mechanism is fascinating. Helminths secrete molecules that manipulate the immune system to ensure their survival inside the host. Ironically, this same strategy may help patients by suppressing harmful autoimmune reactions. In other words, what evolved as a parasite’s defense could become a therapeutic tool.

Of course, the treatment is far from mainstream. Larger follow-up trials have produced mixed results, and regulatory agencies remain cautious. Researchers are now working to isolate and synthesize the beneficial compounds secreted by helminths, aiming to create safe drugs without requiring live worm infections.

Despite the squeamish factor, helminth therapy challenges our assumptions about health. Instead of eradicating parasites completely, medicine may one day harness their strange powers to restore balance in overactive immune systems.^[5]

5 Malaria Therapy for Syphilis

In the early 20th century, long before antibiotics existed, one of the deadliest diseases in the Western world was syphilis. The advanced stage, known as neurosyphilis, attacked the brain and nervous system, causing paralysis, dementia, and ultimately death. With no reliable treatment available, patients faced inevitable decline. Enter one of the strangest and most counterintuitive medical approaches in history: deliberate infection with malaria.

This bizarre therapy was pioneered by Austrian physician Julius Wagner-Jauregg in 1917. He noticed that some syphilis patients improved after experiencing high fevers. From this observation, he hypothesized that if patients were deliberately infected with malaria—a disease known for producing intense, recurring fevers—the heat generated in the body might kill the syphilis-causing bacterium, Treponema pallidum.

Remarkably, the idea worked. Patients infected with malaria experienced such high fevers that the syphilis bacteria often died off, halting or even reversing neurological decline. Once the syphilis was under control, doctors would then treat the malaria itself using quinine, a known remedy at the time.

This “fever therapy” became a widespread medical practice in the 1920s and 1930s. Though it sounds reckless today, it saved thousands of lives at a time when syphilis was otherwise untreatable. For his discovery, Wagner-Jauregg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1927, cementing malaria therapy as a legitimate, if unsettling, medical breakthrough.

Of course, the treatment was not without risks. Some patients died from the malaria infection itself, while others suffered severe complications. Mortality rates hovered around 10–15%, which by modern standards seems unacceptable. However, compared to the very high morbidity and mortality of untreated neurosyphilis, many physicians considered it a justified gamble.

The practice faded into obscurity in the 1940s after the introduction of penicillin, which provided a safe and effective cure for syphilis without the dangers of deliberate malaria infection. Today, malaria therapy serves as a reminder of how medical innovation often emerges from desperate circumstances, where doctors must weigh terrifying risks against even greater threats.^[6]

4 Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Severe Depression

Few medical treatments have carried as much stigma and misunderstanding as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Popularly depicted in films and media as a cruel, barbaric practice, ECT has long been associated with scenes of patients strapped down, convulsing under violent shocks. Yet, behind the controversy lies a surprising truth: ECT is one of the most effective treatments for severe, treatment-resistant depression and several other mental health disorders.

The procedure was first introduced in the 1930s, inspired by observations that patients with epilepsy sometimes experienced relief from psychiatric symptoms after seizures. Doctors hypothesized that inducing controlled seizures might have a therapeutic effect. To achieve this, brief electrical currents were passed through the brain, triggering a seizure in a safe, clinical environment.

Despite its grim portrayal, ECT rapidly gained popularity because it often succeeded where other treatments failed. Patients with deep, unrelenting depression—who might otherwise have faced institutionalization or suicide—sometimes showed dramatic improvement after a course of ECT. Modern studies report response rates of 50–80%, significantly higher than many antidepressant medications.

Over time, the technique evolved to become much safer and more humane. In modern ECT, patients are given anesthesia and muscle relaxants, preventing the violent convulsions once associated with the treatment. The electrical stimulation is carefully controlled, lasting only a few seconds, and is delivered while the patient is unconscious. Most awaken with no memory of the procedure itself.

One of the persistent concerns about ECT has been its side effects, particularly short-term memory loss and confusion. While these issues can occur, they are usually temporary, and ongoing refinements in technique have reduced risks considerably. Importantly, the benefits—especially for patients who have exhausted all other treatment options—can be lifesaving.

ECT is not limited to depression alone. It has also been used to treat bipolar disorder, catatonia, and severe mania, often with rapid results when medications prove ineffective. For individuals at immediate risk of suicide, ECT can act much faster than traditional antidepressants, offering a crucial window of relief.

Though its history is controversial, ECT has survived decades of skepticism and remains endorsed by major psychiatric associations worldwide.^[7]

3 Lobster Blood as a Medical Curiosity

When people think of lobsters, they usually imagine seafood platters, not hospital labs. Yet for a time, these ocean creatures inspired one of the strangest ideas in medical history: lobster blood—or more accurately, hemolymph—as a possible blood substitute.

Unlike humans, lobsters do not use hemoglobin to transport oxygen. Instead, they rely on hemocyanin, a copper-based molecule that turns blue when oxygenated. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, physicians speculated that this compound could carry oxygen in humans much like hemoglobin. There were scattered experimental attempts to transfuse lobster hemolymph, though results were poor and the practice never became mainstream.

The idea faded, but biomedical fascination with invertebrate hemolymph has continued. Horseshoe crab blood remains essential today for testing vaccines and implants for bacterial contamination. Lobster hemocyanin, meanwhile, has shown promise in experimental cancer immunotherapies, where it can stimulate immune responses in unexpected ways.

Though lobster blood never became a true therapy, it remains a striking example of how desperate times and limited options could spark outlandish medical experiments—and how those oddities sometimes seeded modern scientific research.^[8]

2 Insulin Shock Therapy for Schizophrenia

In the years before modern psychiatric medications, doctors were desperate for ways to manage severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia. One of the strangest methods to emerge in the 1930s was insulin shock therapy (IST), a treatment that involved deliberately inducing comas in patients using massive doses of insulin. While the practice has long since fallen out of use, for a time it was hailed as a breakthrough—and in some cases, it actually worked.

The method was developed by Austrian physician Manfred Sakel, who noticed that some drug-addicted patients treated with insulin for diabetes seemed calmer and more manageable after episodes of low blood sugar. Building on this observation, Sakel began experimenting with schizophrenia patients, injecting them with insulin to lower blood sugar to dangerously low levels. This induced seizures and sometimes full comas, which doctors would then reverse with glucose once the episode had lasted long enough.

To modern eyes, this sounds reckless and cruel. Yet in the 1930s and 1940s, IST spread rapidly across psychiatric hospitals in Europe and the United States. Patients often underwent daily sessions for weeks, and contemporary reports claimed that 30–70% showed significant improvement, especially in symptoms like agitation, delusions, and hallucinations.

Why did it work? The exact mechanism was never fully understood, but doctors believed the extreme metabolic stress somehow “reset” brain function. Some modern researchers speculate that the seizures triggered by hypoglycemia may have acted in ways similar to electroconvulsive therapy, altering neurotransmitter activity.

Despite its apparent successes, the treatment was dangerous. Mortality rates were high—around 1–5% of patients died directly from complications like prolonged coma, brain damage, or heart failure. Others suffered lasting memory problems and physical health issues. As safer alternatives like antipsychotic drugs and refined electroconvulsive therapy became available in the 1950s, insulin shock therapy quickly fell out of favor.

Still, IST holds a unique place in psychiatric history. It illustrates the experimental—and sometimes desperate—spirit of early 20th-century medicine, where radical ideas were tried in the absence of better options. More importantly, it paved the way for later, safer innovations in brain-based treatments.

Though shocking by today’s standards, insulin shock therapy was once a lifeline, offering hope where none existed for patients trapped in the grip of severe schizophrenia.^[9]

1 Mercury for Syphilis

Long before antibiotics revolutionized medicine, doctors faced the terrifying specter of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection that devastated millions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Without an effective cure, physicians turned to one of history’s strangest and most dangerous remedies: mercury.

As early as the 15th century, mercury became the frontline treatment for syphilis. Patients were subjected to ointments rubbed on the skin, pills, vapors, and even mercury baths. The infamous phrase “A night in the arms of Venus leads to a lifetime on Mercury” captured the grim reality: syphilis sufferers often endured years of painful, toxic therapy in hopes of relief.

Despite mercury’s poisonous nature—causing side effects like hair loss, kidney damage, neurological tremors, and severe mouth ulcers—it sometimes worked. Mercury compounds have antimicrobial properties that could suppress the Treponema pallidum bacterium responsible for syphilis. While not a true cure, the treatment often reduced symptoms and slowed disease progression, buying patients precious time.

Mercury therapy persisted for centuries, outlasting many other quack remedies of the era. In the 19th century, it was combined with other toxic substances like arsenic and iodine in the hope of increasing effectiveness. Some patients did improve, though many suffered terrible side effects, and deaths from mercury poisoning were not uncommon.

The true end of mercury’s reign came in the 1940s, when penicillin was discovered to be a safe, reliable, and fast-acting cure for syphilis. By then, however, mercury had already secured its place in medical history as a bizarre yet functional treatment.

What makes mercury therapy so astonishing is not only its widespread use, but the sheer fact that it worked at all. Despite the severe risks, it provided real benefits in an age when the alternative was certain disfigurement, madness, or death.

In hindsight, mercury therapy is a cautionary tale about the desperate lengths to which medicine has gone in the battle against disease. But it is also a testament to how, sometimes, even the most toxic and counterintuitive substances can become a form of medical treatment.^[10]