Hippocrates Treats Headaches
Hippocrates, the Greek father of medicine, recommended treating headache by bloodletting, leeches, or trepanation, drilling a hole in the skull of the headache sufferer to release noxious fumes, which he attributed to an excess of yellow bile in the body — not to evil spirits as some of his predecessors believed. He also recommended vomiting to expel headaches from the body.
Galen, a Greek doctor (131-201 A.D.) recommended treating headache by applying a live torpedo, an electric fish related to a skate or ray, to the forehead.
Albucasis, an ancient Arabian doctor (936-1013 A.D.) advised applying a hot iron to the afflicted head. If that failed to cure the headache, he recommended cutting a hole above the temple and inserting a garlic clove into the hole for 15 hours.
Hippocrates (circa 461 to 377 B.C.), the father of medicine.
