4 Anti-Ageing Therapies from a Century Ago
The desire to extend our youth and longevity is nothing new. Here are four ways in which people were attempting to preserve their youthfulness 100 years ago.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Cornelius B Harness popularised the electropathic belt. He claimed it could cure a variety of ailments by ''fixing the body's natural electricity''.
Harness made a fortune, but his business fell apart due to legal claims from unsatisfied customers.
Even great physicist Lord Kelvin weighed in, pointing out that the belts barely generated any current.
If the electropathic belt was not working for you, perhaps some electric shock therapy would suit your needs.
Cosmetic electrotherapy still exists today, and ususally comes at a hefty price... though there's no data to show that it works.
The 20th century was a golden age for facial skin care products.
Effective or otherwise, anything would have been better than 19th century skin care...
...which involved nibbling on wafers of toxic metals. Arsenic and mercury were favorites.
If you were an older male, there was always the option of a monkey testicular transplant. Serge Voronoff performed many such operations, charging up to £1000.
He was convinced the operation made old men youthful again.
Given that the monkey glands would have been rejected by the host's immune system, this is very unlikely.
What bizarre anti-ageing therapies, old and new, have you seen? Let us know!