The heart of a crocodile, the hornet's sting and radiation: how to treat impotence in different eras

Although it is said that the modern way of life and stress is terrible for male potency, the problems of this kind were known to the people at all times. The loss of male power was considered a disaster in the days of Ancient Egypt and even then it tried to treat the materials at hand. The story of the struggle with impotence, spanning many centuries, filled with amazing facts and strange recipes.

In ancient times, on the banks of the Nile, the problems with potency, though considered a curse of the gods, nevertheless, the sacrifice and prayer, especially not relied, and prepared complex potions. The exact composition of medicines from male impotence from Ancient Egypt we have not reached, but it is known that the most commonly used ointments, which consisted of aromatic oils and the hearts of the young crocodiles.

In Ancient India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, was dealing with a male problem is even more unusual way. For ointment, returning lost power, needed a hornet's sting. To make a drug brave pharmacist had to destroy not one hornet's nest, risking their health and even life.

Used and gifts of the nature of animal origin. In Southeast Asia, the potency was reduced by powdered Rhino horn, and in China has been a popular decoction of the tiger penises. By the way, these resources are in demand on the black market and now, despite the fact that for killing a tiger in China put the death penalty, and rhinos in the region were completely destroyed even centuries ago.

In Russia impotence, which was called simply "newsmania", also struggled with drugs of animal origin. Extant handwritten recipes the beginning of the 18th century with these recommendations:

There were other ways, for example, in one of the provinces healers fed men dish of sparrows. To make it, had to catch 30 birds and simmer them in a pot in the oven, and then all in one sitting to eat. In the Northern regions of Russia did a medley of shredded chicken hearts and deer fat, followed by "smearing shame". I must say, these methods can be considered gentle, compared to some others.

In the second half of the 19th century, as the growing popularity of electricity, it is increasingly used in medicine. Electroconvulsive therapy was considered almost a panacea for diseases associated with the nervous system. Of course, they began to treat the current and impotence. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States and Europe employed hundreds of classrooms "men's health", the main equipment which had a generator.

The procedure was uncomplicated electrodes was applied to the penis or even inserted inside and filed a current, in the hope of "cheer up" refusing to work on. It was easy to imagine what the range of sensations experienced at the time of discharge the patient, but that does not make for the sake of restoring male power.

Around the same time with the electro-shock therapy was used and risky medication. In the 19th century opened strychnine — deadly poison contained in the plant chiriboga. In minute doses it is not killed, and caused a strong stimulation of the nervous system.

It's hard to say who came up with "tone" the sexual organ of strychnine, but pharmacies EN masse, a variety means a plant-based poison. Hoping to heal men to bring drugs to convulsions and who knows how many unfortunate this "treatment" was worth living. Alas, strychnine operated short-term and side effects it was terrible, so fashion on the poison passed quickly and in the early 20th century they began to poison rodents.

In 1898, the curies made a revolutionary discovery that changed the world — they discovered radium. But on the harmful effects of radiation were not then known, so it is a chemical element have been actively used in medicine and cosmetology. Suffering from depression and loss of strength could buy pills Radione guaranteeing explosive energy and clarity of thought, and wishing to rejuvenate could buy cream Tho-Radia and look at my funeral one hundred percent.

Now well-known as destructive radiation for potency, but at the turn of the century of genius doctors used to return the potency of rectal suppositories on the basis of radium. Of course, erections they could not return, but after a while the patient was aware that its absence is not the most serious health problem.

Barely science was opened on the role of the endocrine system, as doctors had the idea to treat impotence sex glands of animals. Bulgakov's contemporary, the Transfiguration Professor, American surgeon-the pretender John Romulus Brinkley began to transplant patients testicles of a goat.

In contrast to the very successful literary hero of Russia, Brinkley was greedy charlatan, a method which was based on his own reasoning. John started the rumor that his first patient, a farmer bill Stitsworth, fully restored potency and soon after the surgery for the first time became a father.

This is worked and Brinkley began to make transplantation a daily basis, Stripping patients at $ 750 (10 thousand dollars these days). Of course, any positive effect of the testicles of the animal could not give, and just painfully rejected by the body. Later it turned out that the diploma crook bought from the same crooks, and doomed to the failure of the operation made him rich in a matter of months. After exposing Brinkley put on trial and quickly lost his capital.

In the 15th century by an unknown author published a scientific work entitled, "a Short treatise on the people who are being affected by magic, incapable of intercourse with women." It was a guide to action, telling what to do, if a man has ceased to please in bed.

Of course, the culprit was induced by wizards of the damage, and to get rid of it was with the help of prayers and wetting of the walls bedrooms fresh canine blood. Sprinkling the room is allowed to block the evil spell and return the potency spouse.

But the most radical way of dealing with the scourge of the strong half of humanity was burning at the stake. At the same time burning is not the patient, and the one that was appointed responsible for his sexual impotence. The basis of dubious method was the writings of theologian and philosopher of the 13th century Thomas Aquinas, who argued that impotence causes all sorts of evil.

During the Inquisition, the hypothesis of Aquinas made the appropriate conclusions, and if the husband did not succeed with his wife, blame all the demons that have taken over her body and soul. For the good of the family first and foremost, the most miserable, it were subjected to the fiery autos as a witch. The fact that the potency after burning the hero did not return, for some reason does not bother anyone.