Millipedes, bezoars, earthworms and human urine - just a few examples of ingredients for medical treatments in the 1727 Edinburgh Dispensatory

Despite its name, catgut has never been made using cats. It was originally made from goat and sheep intestines, and first used to suture the tendons of wounded gladiators. Find out more at our exhibition rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/wild-…

Join us on 29 May for our exhibition launch! Reception and talks as you go behind-the-scenes of our upcoming exhibition on the history of addiction Book your ticket now 👉eventbrite.co.uk/e/exhibition-l…

1578 Counsell Against the Pestilence - use cinnamon, violet and cloves, but under no circumstances rely on a walnut

Johannes Scultetus was one of the first academically trained surgeons in Germany. His 17thc textbook on surgery was published after his death and contained many instruments of his own design, including this rather alarming looking jaw clamp

Scholar della Porta used woodcuts of animals to draw parallels and ascribe character traits based on facial features, a practice known as physiognomy. It was once a legitimate and respected science called phrenology. Find out more at our Wild and Tame exhibition

A visit to hydropathic baths in the 1800s was a pretty luxurious affair – this spa in Dunblane included massage facilities, a billiard room, a gymnasium, a recreation room and a 9 hole golf course

Old and stale urine of a man anyone?

Fear of witches spread across Europe from c.1300. The author of this book, Johan Weyer, was a voice of reason in a time of terror - arguing that it was due to mental illness and superstition. He believed this was a problem for doctors, not clerics

For those who were short of cash in 1914 the ‘Poor Man’s Friend’ provided a solution. This condom was marketed as being washable, reusable and had a steel coil spring fitted to it

Behold the Electric Flesh Brush! According to its promotional material, 'Royalty, members of her Majesty's government and many professional gentlemen' attest to its curing rheumatism, toothaches and lameness. The electric element is simply the friction caused by brushing the skin

A 1785 chapbook recipe for 'Beardiness', including watercress, fire, sealions and the blood of a bat

Ebenezer Sibly was a masterful salesman in his advertisements for his patented ‘Re-animating Solar Tincture’ for it was a cure for death – from drowning, suicide, lightning, assassination and duels (1793)

Antimony cup. Made from a toxic metal which made the user sweat, vomit and defecate. Wine would be left to stand in the cup for up to 24 hours until infused with the metal and then drunk. The body would then, supposedly, be cleansed of the bad ‘humors’

You heard it here first – a 17thc cure for love addiction ‘he must drinke… no wine upon any tearmes: because that wine inflames the blood, and makes men the more prone to lust’ Find out more about the history of love addiction in our exhibition ‘Hooked’ rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hooke…

On the doctor's orders - wine as a cure for melancholy, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Find out more about the history of addictive medicines in our exhibition ‘Hooked’ rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hooke…

Parsley, leek, bread, polenta and cheese...another 18thc recipe where the nice food gets applied on the skin and the patient has to eat dung

These are both opium-based medicines. Paregoric was given to young children to relieve teething pain and send them to sleep. Other opium medicines for children included Mother Bailey’s Quieting Syrup and Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup Find out more in our 'Hooked' exhibition

'inject[ion] of lime water to be thrown into rectum'. Witness the delicate bedside manner of one 18thc Scottish physician