Ancient Medical Treatments Still Used Today

From cataract surgery to FDA-approved leeching, some modern medicine has unusual origins.

By Allison Futterman
Nov 2, 2021 1:00 PM
Skull showing traces of a trepanation surgical operation
A skull, from the megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans in Italy, shows traces of a trepanation surgical operation. (Credit: Stefano Chiacchiarini/Shutterstock)

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Many medical treatments from throughout history are considered shocking, barbaric or just plain weird today. Cocaine is no longer used as an anesthetic, for example, and the bygone era of lobotomies is thankfully over. But others have stood the test of time — albeit with changed rationales for their use.

Here are five examples of age-old procedures that doctors still turn to today.

Leeching

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