Over the years bizarre physical ailments and bizarre health-related occurrences and unproven treatments have attracted wide attention until they were exposed as fraudulent claims. The people who perpetrate these fake medical claims are normal people who are able to fool doctors or scientists. Sometimes, a medical professional has been swindled into participating in the fraud. From a woman who is pregnant with rabbits to eyewear that curbs your appetite Here are the 10 most bizarre medical hoaxes.
10. Human-Dog
Although modern science has helped debunk myths and suppositions that are associated with trans-species breeding significant advances in reproduction like the capability to clone animals, have led to a new set of breeding hoaxes based on lab research.
A recent example was the case of the canine-human hybrid that circulated widely on the web. The story stated that Israeli researchers were investigating an interbreeding between a human and an Labrador retriever. While acknowledging that a trans-species cross like this was believed as impossible the article continued to say that humane researchers had found the remains of another species which is believed to have been the animal’s father, and which was buried in a shallow grave. The human parent was believed to belong to a well-known family in the political world.
The report was accompanied by a photograph of what was believed to be the “strange half-dog, half-woman (or the pig) hybrid mother feeding its young.”
It turned out that there is no hybrid. Evidently, the picture of the image that has been emailed to a myriad of mailboxes around the globe it’s not an actual living thing but a sculpture made by Patricia Piccinini. It is from an exhibit in 2003 entitled “We Are Family.” 1
9. Mass Fainting on Daytime TV
the Phil Donahue Show The show, which was broadcast on TV in syndication between 1970 and in 1996. The show was one of the revolutionary talk show on the daytime airwaves for its focus on socially relevant issues. Alongside the excellent topic, there were plenty of exciting episodes, with one that shocked viewers in a completely unexpected manner. When the live taping began of an episode on homosexual seniors on the 21st of January the 21st of January, 1985, some were fainting in the audience.
The show began when an audience member fell asleep as she was speaking through a microphone, seven people fell unconscious in the course of recording the same show. The speculation was that hot air within the studio, contrasted with the extremely cold temperatures outside, could be the cause of this bizarre occurrence. It was discovered that this mass-fainting was an experiment that was organized through the group Fight Against Idiotic Neurotic Television (FAINT) that was headed by the media hoaxer Alan Abel, to protest the what Abel believed was the poor quality of television in the early days. What would he think of when he saw what’s on television today! [22
8. Cello Scrotum
The phrase cello scrotum can sound like a joke. This exactly the case it proved be. But 35 years passed by before the two men who had a sly idea of the phrase acknowledged they were just playing. The prank was a response to a note from the doctor. P. Curtis that was published in British Medical Journal and reported three cases of malady that which the doctor called “guitar Nipple.” If one believes that the correspondence was fake the couple of married John Murphy and Dr. Elaine Murphy were inspired to respond. The letter, which appeared in a 1974 issue this journal was written by John however it was written by Elaine. The letter reads: “Though I have not seen a “guitar nipple” as described by Dr. P. Curtis… I did encountered the condition known as ‘cello the scrotum’ that was caused by irritation to inside the body of the instrument.”
The Murphys finally admitted that the cello scrotum was merely an euphemism, they claimed that it was obvious to anyone who’d observed the performance of the cello that this situation was unattainable. [3]
7. The Child Who Grew a Golden Tooth
In the medieval era the use of astrology was frequently employed to aid medical professionals as well as researchers. In the 16th century, an medical doctor in Julius University in Helmstedt named Jakob Horst decided to investigate reports about Christoph Muller, a young boy from Silesia who was believed to have developed the golden tooth. When tests revealed that Muller had a genuine golden tooth Horst published a work that laid out an astrology-based theory. Horst speculated that the bones in Muller’s jaw had changed to gold due to the fact that he was born during a time when the planets were aligned in a strange way and this Horst believed caused the sun’s rays to grow stronger.
The impact of eating food and the numerous tests led to the deterioration of what was revealed to be just an extremely tiny layer of silver to the surface of the tooth. Muller would not allow it to be examined any more. A drunk nobleman who was unwilling to accept the word “no” for an answer, punched on the cheek of Muller. When a doctor who treated the wound realized the truth about the tooth the person who made the gold crown appears to have escaped punishment through escape or staying secret, however Muller was taken to jail. But, something positive emerged from the hoax. It was the first recorded creation of a gold crown that was molded in the dental history. [4]
6. Vilcabamba
There have been plenty of hoaxes that focused on the possibility of increasing the lifespan of humans. One of them was a widely reported report in the 1970s that involved Vilcabamba, an Ecuadorian town of Vilcabamba in which it was reported to be normal for residents to live until 100, and at the very least one person living to the age of 134. American journalists were able to take the story seriously and an article included in National Geographic drew an influx of visitors to Vilcabamba. The reason for the long-running story was not clear.
In 1978, Richard Mazess of the University of Wisconsin and Sylvia Forman of U.C. Berkeley published the results of their research which proved this fountain of youth was the product of a myth. Research revealed that nobody living in the community was over 100 . The mean age of those who were thought as centenarians an average of 86. One man who claimed to be 127, was actually aged 91. [5]
5. Longevity in Bottled Breath
A prank in the 18th century, doctor Johann Heinrich Cohausen included a description of a bizarre formulation inside Hermippus redivivus which was an expositional piece that he wrote about longevity. Cohausen composed a treatise on an intoxicant which preserved the breath of women in their early years, claiming that consumption of the drug can extend a person’s lifespan. The problem is that Cohausen is clear in the last few pages of his document that it’s actually just a mockery. Therefore, instead of being a fraud it’s more of a practical and academic comedy. [6]
4. Vision-Dieter glasses
There have been many weight loss hoaxes through the years, ranging from supplements and elixirs to cosmetic treatments, diets that are fad and many more. One item that was sold in the 1970s with shockingly false claims was the Vision-Dieter glasses. They claimed to reduce hunger and cravings through the use of “secret European color technology.”
The first goal of the designer was to create glasses that distort the colors of food packaging with the intention of reducing the likelihood to buy products simply because they were packaged in vibrant containers. However, after recognizing how much profits could be made in the diet industry the creator decided to sell his glasses in the form of a device for those who wanted to lose weight.
It’s no as a surprise to learn that Food and Drug Administration took actions. The glasses, which were tinted with color, were confiscated because of confusion in the branding. A majority of them were later taken away by FDA after the claimant was unable to reveal his identity. [7]
3. Metal Rod Pain Reliever: The “Metallic Tractors”
The period of the 1800s was brimming with all sorts of bizarre medical hoaxes, particularly absurd treatments and devices. One of the most bizarre products sold to ease pain was an assortment of small pointed rods of metal that were that were flat on one side and round on the other, known as “metallic tractor.” These were developed by Connecticut doctor Elisha Perkins. The rods be used to Perkins help ease the discomfort caused by arthritis, gout and other ailments by draining of the “noxious electrical fluids” that he believed were responsible for the conditions. The patient was advised to rub gently the area of the problem using these rods.
It wasn’t only the ignorant who were sucked into this fraud. The one who bought an item were George Washington. An array of medical studies from 1799 through 1801 showed that any relief from pain could be a result of a placebo. [8]
2. Celestial Bed
The famous 18th century British notorious skeptic James Graham had a whole museum of hoaxes. Graham was a man who been portrayed as a doctor although he did not complete his medical training is most well-known for his electrical medicine. Electricity harnessing was an emerging science at the period and Graham was influenced by the work by Benjamin Franklin, who he actually met living in America.
Graham’s Temple of Health was frequented by royalty and other famous people. The most fascinating inventions was a contraption for fertility known as the Celestial Bed, which he claimed to treat impotence and sterility. The Celestial Bed was available for rent to couples for a night. It could be tilted at different angles . It also contained the mattress with sweet fresh wheat straw or straw made of oats as well as rose leaves, lavender flowers balm, hairs of horses tail. There were also expensive oils and perfumes beneath the mattress.
According to the self-styled physician the static electricity flowing through copper coils that were positioned around the bed created magnetic fluid that surrounded the couple, which “helped to boost their strength and boost the fertility of women.” They was surrounded by gentle music. On top of the bed was a mirror with lush floral arrangements and erotic drawings. Graham claimed that any person who stayed for a night there was likely to conceive a baby. [9]
1. Mary Toft and Her Litters of Rabbits
People are often fascinated by the notion of crossbreeding between various species, particularly human beings crossing with animals of different kinds. There have been many of women throughout history who claimed that they had given birth to animals belonging to another species. But the most famous tale is of an 18th century English servant, Mary Toft, who managed to convince doctors and others that she was the mother to rabbits. It was believed that there were numerous litters, totalling 15 bunnies that died at birth. To answer the easy question “how did the bunnies born?” Toft said she had experienced a shock when she saw an animal in fields and this explanation ties into the myth of the maternal impression. After the incident, Toft believed to have dreamed of rabbits and had an intense desire to eat rabbits, as food.
The Obstetrician John Howard was sure enough that Toft truly had conceived rabbits. He notified famous British doctors and the King George I, who had his doctor investigate the issue. While this doctor was also fooled an investigation conducted by a surgeon who was dispatched from the royal family found evidence of a fraud. When examining the rabbits, he found “that the dung in one of the rabbits contained corn, which proved that it could not have grown inside the Mrs. Toft’s mother’s womb.”
Toft continued to play the game and created several animal parts such as bladders from hogs and kitten’s legs. When an individual was caught snatching an animal into her bedroom and she confessed to putting the rabbits in her vagina and allowing the rabbits to be born in the hope that it would earn her a stipend by the crown. However, instead she received some months in jail. [10]
