In the 19th century, people sought various unconventional treatments for common ailments, one of which was a peculiar remedy for rheumatism practiced along Australia’s southern coast. This peculiar treatment involved sitting inside a rotting whale carcass for a duration of 30 hours. The belief was that this experience would provide relief from joint aches and pains for up to a year.
Although the idea of sitting inside a decomposing whale carcass may seem absurd today, it highlights the desperate measures people were willing to take in search of relief from their ailments. At the time, scientific knowledge and understanding of medical treatments were limited, which often led to the adoption of unconventional and unproven therapies.
