{"id":725,"date":"2021-10-29T02:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T02:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/?p=725"},"modified":"2025-10-14T17:01:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T01:01:39","slug":"strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history","title":{"rendered":"Strange Medicine: Spooky, Weird, and Dark Tales from Medical History"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history\/#A_Strange_Medical_Procedure_%E2%80%9CMapping_the_Empire_of_Disease%E2%80%9D_on_the_Tip_of_Ones_Tongue\" >A Strange Medical Procedure: \u201cMapping the Empire of Disease\u201d on the Tip of One\u2019s Tongue<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history\/#A_Haunted_Hospital_Story_Game_of_Strange_Connection\" >A Haunted Hospital Story: Game of Strange Connection<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history\/#A_Peculiar_Practitioner_The_Scary_Case_of_Dr_Freeman\" >A Peculiar Practitioner: The Scary Case of Dr. Freeman<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history\/#Its_a_Med_Med_Word_From_Brain_Freeze_to_Coccyx\" >It\u2019s a Med, Med Word: From Brain Freeze to Coccyx<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history\/#A_Full_Moon_a_Busy_Emergency_Room_Myth_or_Reality\" >A Full Moon = a Busy Emergency Room: Myth or Reality?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/strange-medicine-spooky-weird-and-dark-tales-from-medical-history\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Oh, the <strong>thrills <\/strong>and <strong>fears <\/strong>of being a medical student! Not only do you have to go through all the <strong>blood, sweat, and tears<\/strong> involved in getting through med school (literally), you also have to prepare for all kinds of situations, including some <strong>strange medical stories<\/strong> during practice. So yes, it takes a lot of <strong>guts <\/strong>to do this job!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But enough with these rookie-level&nbsp;<strong>Halloween&nbsp;<\/strong>puns. Let\u2019s get to&nbsp;<strong>the real spooks<\/strong>&nbsp;as we have a few dark tales to trick or treat yourselves these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are\u00a0<strong>some stories that we hope will tickle your curiosity<\/strong>, from weird <strong>medical facts<\/strong> to <strong>peculiar practices and practitioners<\/strong> in history, and show you just how far we\u2019ve come in medicine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Strange_Medical_Procedure_%E2%80%9CMapping_the_Empire_of_Disease%E2%80%9D_on_the_Tip_of_Ones_Tongue\"><\/span>A Strange Medical Procedure: \u201cMapping the Empire of Disease\u201d on the Tip of One\u2019s Tongue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once upon a dark time, the tongue was really problematic for doctors as it kept <strong>interfering with<\/strong> a clear view of the <strong>mouth and throat<\/strong>. But then, in 1843, a bizarre medical journal just decided that the tongue was actually \u201cthe map of the empire of disease.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that moment everything changed, and for more than a century, <strong>\u201cmapping\u201d a person\u2019s tongue<\/strong> was a <strong>standard medical procedure<\/strong> to identify <strong>diseases<\/strong>. According to a <strong>Dr. Benjamin Ridge,<\/strong> the sides of it indicated <strong>kidney problems, <\/strong>the tip: <strong>intestinal problems<\/strong>, and the edges: <strong>brain problems.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_9ee1b9.png\" alt=\"Illustration of a tongue mapping, a debunked diagnostic theory. One part indicates kidney problems another part intestinal problems and the last one brain problems.\" class=\"wp-image-727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_9ee1b9.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_9ee1b9.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s more, \u201cThe tongue was also said to be a near-infallible lie detector,\u201d as found in the&nbsp;<em>Strange Medicine: A Shocking History of Real Medical Practices Through the Ages&nbsp;<\/em>book by Nathan Belofsky. What a read!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lucky for us, there\u2019s no more \u201cmapping the empire of disease\u201d nor lies inside our mouths. Doctors nowadays know that a<strong> tongue depressor<\/strong> will work just great to examine patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Haunted_Hospital_Story_Game_of_Strange_Connection\"><\/span>A Haunted Hospital Story: Game of Strange Connection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the prize for the spookiest ghost encounter in a hospital goes to\u00a0<strong>L. Rambo, a pediatric CVICU\/NICU nurse with 25 years of experience<\/strong>, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-was-the-creepiest-thing-to-happen-to-you-as-a-nurse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Quora thread<\/a>\u00a0on <strong>strange medical stories for nurses<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlthough I was not \u2018in the room\u2019 when this happened, the patient repeated the events to me afterward. I worked with children who were born with <strong>cardiac defects<\/strong>. Many underwent <strong>surgical repair or palliative intervention<\/strong> in order to extend their lives. One such patient had a particularly rough course prior to losing his battle with <strong>heart disease<\/strong>. It was utterly devastating for the doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists who had grown close to him. We grieved his loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later in the week, a patient was transferred into the same room he had died in. As the nurse entered the room to introduce herself, she witnessed the little girl sitting on the floor <strong>playing and talking as if another person was with her<\/strong>. Her mother asked her who she was talking to and she stated, \u201cThe little boy who was here before we were. He\u2019s sad and he\u2019s lonely and he wants me to play with him.\u201d She would often wake up at night and ask for him by name. I have no explanations as to how or why she would know who he was.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_da0385.png\" alt=\"A little see through boy playing on the floor with a girl waving next to him.\" class=\"wp-image-728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_da0385.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_da0385.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are quite a few un-boo-lievable stories shared in <strong>medical communities<\/strong> and <strong>hospital <\/strong>settings in the U.S. And these strange medical stories keep fascinating people, including health professionals, as we can see in social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are many medical reasons behind <strong>visual hallucinations<\/strong> and such ghost encounters. But another important thing to consider, especially as a health provider, is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2660575\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the <strong>role of cultural and social factors<\/strong> in the assessment of patients who experience them<\/a>.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/2024-09-02T200211.279.png?w=700\" alt=\"Osmosis ad\" class=\"wp-image-711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/2024-09-02T200211.279.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/2024-09-02T200211.279.png?resize=300,107 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Peculiar_Practitioner_The_Scary_Case_of_Dr_Freeman\"><\/span>A Peculiar Practitioner: The Scary Case of Dr. Freeman<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One historical figure whose story is still sending shivers down everyone\u2019s spine is&nbsp;<strong>Walter Freeman.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Freeman was not a surgeon but soon became the \u201c<strong>father of frontal lobotomies.<\/strong>\u201d Freeman was a strange man mentored by the Nobel Prize winner <strong>Egas Moniz<\/strong>, who was actually the <strong>first doctor to perform a prefrontal lobotomy<\/strong> in 1935.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_9f1c60.png\" alt=\"Dr. Walter Freeman looking at the skull image.\" class=\"wp-image-729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_9f1c60.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_9f1c60.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Freeman was also <strong>impatient <\/strong>and not very fond of using instruments that \u201cwould break off in patient\u2019s skulls,\u201d and many other things that today are <strong>essential for patient\u2019s safety<\/strong> (starting with <strong>sterilization<\/strong>). So he began practicing a simpler technique that <strong>went through the eye instead of the brain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the same\u00a0<em>Strange Medicine\u00a0<\/em>book mentioned above, \u201cFreeman generally <strong>used ice picks<\/strong> from his kitchen drawer, especially those from the Uline Ice Company. He&#8217;d hammer them in with a mallet, and then scrape, like a windshield wiper. Attending doctors often fainted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is just one of the many spooky stories and disturbing medical facts about Dr. Freeman; another one was that, during the summer, he would go <strong>traveling with his wife and kids<\/strong> driving his \u201c<strong>lobotomobile<\/strong>\u201d and practice his famous procedures at local hospitals in between camping trips to national parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, traditional lobotomies fell out of practice in the US the moment Freeman <strong>performed his last operation in 1967 <\/strong>that resulted in the <strong>patient\u2019s death.<\/strong> Today, we have much <strong>more humane forms of treatment <\/strong>to use that can guarantee <strong>patients\u2019 rights and safety<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_a_Med_Med_Word_From_Brain_Freeze_to_Coccyx\"><\/span>It\u2019s a Med, Med Word: From Brain Freeze to Coccyx<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We couldn\u2019t decide on a <strong>medical term<\/strong> with a really weird origin story, so we&#8217;ve got two of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first one is something that not many people can say out loud, but if you love to \u201cspeak medicine,\u201d here it is:\u00a0<strong><em>Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia<\/em><\/strong>. It refers to that <strong>brain freeze<\/strong> you get when eating <strong>cold food<\/strong> like ice cream and getting an <strong>instant headache<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_2ae989.png\" alt=\"Osmosis illustration of frozen brain\" class=\"wp-image-730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_2ae989.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_2ae989.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/medical-terminology-for-nursing-students-a-practical-guide\">etymology<\/a> <\/strong>is as complex as it sounds and is derived from Greek and Latin:\u00a0<em>sphen\u00a0<\/em>refers to the <strong>sphenoid bone,<\/strong>\u00a0<em>palatine<\/em>\u00a0to the <strong>palate<\/strong>,\u00a0<em>gangli<\/em>\u00a0to the <strong>neural ganglion<\/strong>,\u00a0<em>neur<\/em>\u00a0to the <strong>nerves<\/strong>, and\u00a0<em>algi<\/em>\u00a0to <strong>pain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second medical term with a rather interesting story is\u00a0<strong><em>Coccyx<\/em><\/strong><em>,\u00a0<\/em>the scientific name for the \u201ctailbone.\u201d It\u2019s a Latin word coming from the Greek word\u00a0<strong><em>kokkux<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>for \u201c<strong>cuckoo<\/strong>,\u201d due to the <strong>triangular bone resembling a cuckoo\u2019s beak.<\/strong> Although it sounds funny, coccyx pain is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Full_Moon_a_Busy_Emergency_Room_Myth_or_Reality\"><\/span>A Full Moon = a Busy Emergency Room: Myth or Reality?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story of <strong>full moon nights<\/strong> being a time of spooky occurrences and magic has been going on for many centuries. But is it really connected to actual <strong>increases in emergency cases <\/strong>or <strong>hospital admissions<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>moon <\/strong>does have a <strong>real influence<\/strong> on life on Earth (besides <strong>gravity<\/strong>) and this has been nurturing an eternal fascination for its wonders among poets and doctors alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The truth is that <strong>lunar phases\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1389945714003402?via=ihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">can influence a person\u2019s quality of sleep<\/a><\/strong>, according to small-scale studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, when it comes to the idea that the <strong>full moon makes people more aggressive<\/strong> or that healthcare facilities <strong>admit more patients during full-moon nights<\/strong>, researchers agree to disagree. Studies like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/smw.ch\/article\/doi\/smw.2019.20070\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the one conducted by Swedish and American researchers in 2019<\/a>\u00a0show <strong>no significant connection<\/strong> between moon phases and a rise in violent behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>So is there any truth in the popular belief that a full moon equals a busy emergency room? Definitely not.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/21713579\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this study on the <strong>impact of lunar phases on emergency operations and intraoperative blood loss<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from 2011, more than <strong>40% of the medical staff<\/strong> was convinced the <strong>moon <\/strong>cycle can <strong>affect human behavior<\/strong>, but <strong>scientific data analysis did not support this belief<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional studies have proved\u00a0<strong>no real correlation<\/strong>\u00a0between\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28791180\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>lunar phases<\/strong> and complications in cataract surgery<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/17333517\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lunar phases and the quality of radical cystectomy<\/a>, or<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12867315\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lunar phenomena<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12867315\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> on the incidence of emergency cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the phenomenon still seems to hold some real significance for doctors and medical staffers who are unsettled when working on a full-moon night, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/hospitals-really-believe-bad-things-happen-on-a-full-moon-1476719218\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this WSJ article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Medical history has its share of bizarre, unexpected, and disturbing stories to tell.\u00a0<\/strong>Fortunately, medicine has come a long way and the weird-o-meter has dropped a lot! Still, the thrills and frills of <strong>clinical practice<\/strong> are always there since health practitioners are constantly working to make that difference between life and death for their patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t worry, though. Even with a strange happening or scary experience that this job is bound to bring you at some point,&nbsp;<strong>your healing hands, nerves of steel, and a bit of Osmosis will get you through<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that spirit, we\u2019re here to simplify things with&nbsp;<strong>the right study techniques to retain, understand, and study more efficiently<\/strong>&nbsp;throughout your health professional program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tongue mapping was once a common but inaccurate diagnostic tool.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Haunted hospital stories reflect cultural and medical interpretations of hallucinations.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dr. Walter Freeman\u2019s lobotomies were infamous for their crude methods.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Medical terms like \u201cbrain freeze\u201d and \u201ccoccyx\u201d have interesting origins.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scientific studies debunk myths like full moon effects on emergency room visits.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/create\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/79.png?w=700\" alt=\"Osmosis ad\" class=\"wp-image-513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/79.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/79.png?resize=300,107 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Try Osmosis today! Access your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/login?type=create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a>&nbsp;and find out why millions of current and future clinicians and caregivers love learning with us.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dive into the fascinating world of medical history with strange procedures, unusual terms, and the impact of folklore on healthcare practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":227,"featured_media":726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,42],"tags":[150,215,833,395,831,408,570,245,149,832],"class_list":["post-725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-facts","category-research","tag-clinical-practice","tag-healthcare-education","tag-healthcare-myths","tag-healthcare-professionals","tag-historical-medicine","tag-medical-history","tag-medical-terminology","tag-nursing-education","tag-patient-care","tag-strange-medical-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - 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