Current Date: 09 Mar, 2026
{{entry.title}}

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today

We are all aware that medicine has advanced dramatically over the last fifty years. There are several modern medical approaches available today, but this was not always the case. However, the past of medicine is a dark one. Medical leeches, lobotomy, vascular surgery, cranial stenosis, and even electroshock therapy are all options. These are only a couple of the cruel healing techniques that are still in use today.

We are all aware that medicine has advanced dramatically over the last fifty years. There are several modern medical approaches available today, but this was not always the case. However, the past of medicine is a dark one. Medical leeches, lobotomy, vascular surgery, cranial stenosis, and even electroshock therapy are all options. These are only a couple of the cruel healing techniques that are still in use today.

10. Electroshock therapy

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 1

Fortunately, we only saw this technique in movies when a current was introduced to patients in a mental hospital. At first sight, this seems to be torturing patients, but it is actually a very successful procedure.

9. Skulling (Trepanation)

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 2

Drilling holes in people’s skulls is still practiced today, although it’s commonly referred to as a craniotomy. In this process, a surgeon removes a slice of the skull to enter the brain in order to treat disorders such as brain lesions and brain tumors, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The skull fragment is covered as soon as possible.

8. Bloodletting (Phlebotomy)

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 3

It was also used in ancient Egypt to get rid of excess blood. At the time, it was thought that an imbalance in body fluids caused diseases, so vascular cutting was needed. This technique was used in the nineteenth and even twentieth centuries, but its usefulness had already been brought into question.

7. Medical leeches

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 4

Medical leeches are not dangerous, in fact, their saliva contains sixty kinds of proteins that inhibit blood clotting, increase blood flow and anesthetize. Leech saliva was used in surgeries to minimize inflammation and prevent blood clots from developing.

6. Larval therapy

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 5

(Warning, You may see a disturbing pictures if you search this one)

Larval therapy is a much more repulsive treatment than leeches, but it is just as successful. Fly larvae that settle in the wound aids in the healing process. These larvae consume dead tissue, assisting the damaged area to recover as quickly as possible. Bone-to-bone wound infections experienced rapid healing and decreased infection in 1929. However, after WWII, penicillin took the place of larval therapy. However, larvae are still used in the treatment of abscesses to this day. 

5. Intestinal worm diet

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 6

Beauty expectations are still evolving, but they are no longer as harmful as they once were. While arsenic-dyed clothing and painful corsets are no longer in use, the intestinal worm diet is still prevalent. Despite its effectiveness in weight loss, this procedure is illegal in most countries due to the numerous health risks. Tapeworm eggs are consumed, and the growing animal digests the carbohydrates. When the subject achieved the desired weight, the animal had to be removed from the body, which could only be done under medical supervision and with medication.

4. Cauterization

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 7

The technique has been practiced for over three thousand years. Closing surgeries are thought to be a normal operation. Cauterization with a heated metal piece was extremely painful and caused extensive tissue damage, but it also stopped the bleeding and disinfected the wound. Wound burning was also used in the Middle Ages, but it was also used to cure mental illness. Wound suturing did not begin until the 16th century, but it quickly spread throughout the world.

3. Bee venom

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 8

Bee Venom Therapy is a centuries-old treatment. Bee venom, which includes a mixture of proteins, amino acids, and enzymes that can induce and reduce inflammation, has been used to treat bee problems. Melittin has antibacterial and antiviral properties. However, since the findings were questionable, this treatment was also not medically accepted. Intentional bee pinching, on the other hand, is still used to relieve joint and muscle pain.

2. Stool transplantation

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 9

The origin of the process can be traced back to ancient India. Cow feces have been proposed as a treatment for certain intestinal problems. He used it to treat food poisoning, and the Bedouins used camel stools for this purpose. About 1950, Western medicine began to address this cure, and it is now a well-understood procedure. The method, predictably, triggered disgust, making it difficult to spread. In certain diseases, the intestinal flora is depleted to such a degree that healthy bacteria will be brought back. It is now performed by enema and should not be taken orally as it was previously.

1. Lobotomy

Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today 10

After removal of the frontal lobe, the experimental monkeys calmed down, so the treatment was also tried on humans. Under anesthesia, the connection between a patient’s forehead and the rest of his brain was broken. The method proved promising but caused paralysis, loss of consciousness, and catatonia. It became popular in the ’40s with dangerous or violent patients struggling with rage. Later, the procedure, which was performed through the eye cavity, could be performed without anesthesia and surgery. Lobotomy was banned in the ’50s but was still used in many countries. It is still used today, but only in patients who are not helped by any other therapy.

Similar Stories
The day Iceland's women went on strike

The day Iceland's women went on strike

Icelandic women went on strike for equal rights on October 24, 1975. 90% of women walked out of their jobs and homes, effectively shutting down the entire country. The men were struggling to keep up. The following year, Parliament passed a law requiring equal pay. Iceland elected the world's first female President five years later. Iceland now has the highest gender equality rate in the world.

Ea-Nasir: world's oldest written customer complaint

Ea-Nasir: world's oldest written customer complaint

This clay tablet, written in cuneiform, is the oldest known written customer complaint about the delivery of poor quality copper ingots. Originally from ancient Babylon, the tablet dates back to 1750 BCE, and it was written by a customer named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-Nasir. It is currently housed in the British Museum.

The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program

The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program

In 1986, while doing a night shift at the hospital, Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse, was asked by an elderly patient to stay. She promised to be back after checking on her other patients, but by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away. Clarke became one of the key figures in launching No One Dies Alone, a program that allows volunteers to sit with terminal patients who have no one else.

Robert Odlum, the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge

Robert Odlum, the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge

The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver who "wanted to demonstrate that people did not die simply by falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net." He proved himself correct by safely falling 135 feet through the air and dying only when he hit the water.

What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?

What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?

During WW2, there was a special unit of men dubbed the ‘Ghost Army’. The unit was made of artists, creative and engineers and their job was to create deception about the enemy. From inflatable tanks to phony convoys to scripted conversations in bars intended to spread disinformation, they used all possible tricks to fool the enemy.

A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console

A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console

Sony's PlayStation was never meant to be an actual product. Instead, it was intended to be a CD-ROM console that would support Nintendo games. However, when Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute, Sony went ahead and launched what soon became one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time.

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?

Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.

How 18th Century Women’s Rights Movements Shaped Modern Equality

How 18th Century Women’s Rights Movements Shaped Modern Equality

The 18th century marked a turning point in the quest for women’s rights, as passionate voices challenged centuries of gender inequality and laid the groundwork for modern feminism. From pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft to revolutionary declarations and early advocacy, this era sparked debates on education, political participation, and social justice that continue to resonate today. Journey through the origins of women’s rights movements and discover how their bold ideas shaped the fight for equality.

The Forgotten Story of Semipalatinsk and the Soviet Nuclear Experiments

The Forgotten Story of Semipalatinsk and the Soviet Nuclear Experiments

Between 1949 and 1989, the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan became the primary location for Soviet nuclear weapons tests, exposing millions of unsuspecting villagers to radioactive fallout. Known as the “Polygon of Suffering,” this remote desert witnessed 456 nuclear detonations that caused widespread health crises, birth defects, and generational genetic damage. This article narrates the chilling legacy of Semipalatinsk, unveiling the human cost of Cold War arms development and the ongoing struggle for healing and recognition in Kazakhstan.