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    Since the beginning of the time, people have had illnesses and doctors have tried to cure them. In the days when people knew very little about medicine, some very strange and horrible cures were tried. Here are some of the worst.

Toothaches

    Ancient Egyptians who had a toothache didn't use to go to the dentist, because there weren't any dentists in those days. So they used to find a dead mouse and put it in their mouth. They left there for a few hours. Did it take the toothache away? Who knows!? But aren't you happy that there's a dentist near you ?

Backaches

    A backache is no fun at all. People who suffer from one have a lot of pain. Sometimes it's because a bone in the back is out of position. In ancient Greece, doctors used to cure a backache like this: They tied the patient to a ladder, pulled the ladder up  high and then let it fall to the ground. Bang! The Bone went back into the place. Well, that was the idea, but this “cure” probably just made the backache worse!

Baldness

    OK, it's not really a disease at all. But men whose hair is falling out are never happy about it ,are they? The ancient Egyptians had the solution. What did they use to do ?They took the fat of a lion, a hippo, a cat and a snake, mixed them together, and then rubbed the mixture into the man's head. Maybe it stopped baldness, maybe not, but the man's head certainly didn't smell too good afterward.