An upcoming exhibithosted at the Pabst Mansion called “TheCutting Edge: Medical Practices and Quackery of the 19th Century” is set to showcase the wacky and occasionallymorbid “medical advances” of this era. It will “explore the horrific, hilariousand often hair-raising practices in 19th-century medicine that existedalongside such medical breakthroughs as anesthesia and X-rays,” curator JodiRich-Bartz says.
“The things that[doctors] did in the name of medicine are completely different from today,”Rich-Bartz adds.
Despite the solidmedical developments that entered the 19th century's public arena, a market for miracle remedies and rashtreatments ran rampant. Many of the “cures” may sound foolish in retrospect,but most people will doanything to try to stay alive. Bythe turn of the 20th century, medical “quackery” ranked high in many socialcircles, though some individuals embraced the innovative technology stemming from thebirth of the Milwaukee Hospital and MarquetteUniversity's School of Dentistry.
At this time, one of thetruly sound inventions coming out of the medical field was anesthesia, which“up to this point, when you went in for surgery, [doctors] just started cuttingon you. There was nothing to dull the pain,” Rich-Bartz says.
Also, cleanliness was ahuge factor. “The biggest thing that came out of 19th-century medicine [besidesX-rays and anesthesia] was the realization that they needed to sterilizethings,” she adds. “Wash their hands, don't go from one patient to the nextdoing multiple surgeries, etc.”
DubiousProducts on Display
In addition to theserecognizable and legitimate medical procedures still present today, the exhibitalso calls attention to practices that often built up false hope. Featuredattractions will consist of devices such as a bloodletting kit (used to draininfectious blood) and a portable surgeon's kit from the Civil War containing asaw (used for on-site, mass amputations), as well as a portable surgeon's tableand wheelchair (which look like they rolled out of an old horror movie). Also,advertisements for various products and medical apparatuses used to inspectone's bladder (a cystoscope), pull one's teeth or encourage a healthy digestivetract (a bottle of Pabst Extract Tonic) will be presented.
Pabst Extract Tonic wasjust one of the illegitimate products promoted as a cure-all for nervousconditions through ads that cried out to the tired, the weak and theoverworked.
So what does one do whenstressed out, nervous or in need of a break? The doctor says…drink beer. Thisalcohol-enhanced “elixir” still resonates in the public's mind today, but as amode of after-hours relaxation. Not many doctors prescribe it.
Another inventionreferred to as the “Arnold Massage Vibrator” was also said to cure anythingfrom baldness to consumption (tuberculosis), dandruff to gout and nervousnessto obesity. Vibratory massage used electricity as a method of curing diseasesby encouraging blood circulation and nerve stimulation, according to theproduct's manual provided by the Pabst Mansion's personalcollection.
This manual reads,“There is no trouble, no inconvenience. The user simply holds the ArnoldMassage Vibrator in one hand and passes over the part [of the body] it isdesired to massage and at once feels the invigorating, vitalizing,health-giving effects of the increased blood circulation. A few minutes useevery day works wonders.” Sound familiar?
“The Cutting Edge” opensJune 11 and continues through Halloween night. Tickets start at $9 for adultsand can be purchased at 2000 W. Wisconsin Ave. All proceeds go to the continuedrestoration of the Pabst Mansion. For furtherinformation, visit www.pabstmansion.com.
