FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS!!!!

Human body parts were often sold to apothecaries and physicians, by town exEcutioners.

Doctors believed that some essence of the life force remained in the body after death ~ especially in the case of exEcutions or accidents, where life was taken suddenly and quickly from an otherwise healthy young person.

The remainder of the deceased’s natural life span could thus be ingested by the person consuming his body parts….

A person could also consume flesh and fat medicines, to help with pain from rheumatism.
The flesh from a healthy person could cure skin diseases.

People of all social standings, including royalty, turned to the human body for pain relief, treatment for chronic diseases and wound care.

Charles II was given medicine mixed with skull bone, to cure his convulsions.
Unfortunately, the medicine didn’t work and he died within days.

William II of England, François I of France, and Christian IV of Denmark, were all cannibals when it came to their medicine.

Elizabeth I’s favourite royal physicians, heartily recommended it to their patients.

When James I of England suffered from gout in 1616, his physician, Théodore de Mayerne, recommended ~

“an arthritic powder composed of scrapings of an unburied human skull, herbs, white wine, and whey, to be taken at full moon.
But as the king hates eating human bodies, an ox’s head can be substituted in his case”

Followers of medical cannibalism believed the skull, in particular, was highly valuable.
The skull was removed from the body, it contents were emptied and then ground it into a powder.

This could be used to treat ‘diseases’ of the head, such as nosebleeds.
Another option was to use the skull as a planter to grow moss.
The Moss would suck up all the nutrients from inside the skull.
When the moss was collected it was added to ‘healing concoctions’.

There were several reasons for ending the popular practice of drinking blood and eating smoked flesh….

One of the reasons happened during the Black Plague. It was found out that prevention recipes didn’t stop the disease from spreading.

One failed attempt to ward off the plague involved menstrual blood from a young virgin maiden, combined with other ingredients to form a cake.

People then wore this on a string around their neck.
The cakes obviously had no effect, as many as 50% of Europeans died during the mid-1300s plague outbreak!

Photo Credit~Medical News Today