ISAAC NEWTON PROPOSED CURING BUBONIC PLAGUE THROUGH A SPOONFUL OF TOAD VOMIT
Since time immemorial, plagues, influenzas, and pestilences have wreaked havoc among humanity, causing thousands and even millions of deaths. These plagues have ravaged humanity and sometimes, even changed the course of history.
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In these modern times where we keep on advancing in terms of innovation and technology, information is now at the tip of our fingers. We defied gravity by flying off to space. We are now able to produce clones by processing genetic information and we can even create robots that could do complicated tasks.
However, despite all these, we still remain vulnerable to unprecedented diseases.
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Today, we will be exploring the story behind the epidemic, bubonic plague, or most commonly known as the “The Black Death,” and why the world renowned scientist, Isaac Newton proposed a spoonful of toad vomit to be a cure to this disease. Ughhh. Sounds disgusting!
Strange as it sounds, but these are just one of the weird plague cures that people tried in order to combat the black death.
It peaked in Europe around 1347 to 1352 killing over 25 million people. Even doctors were completely unable to prevent or cure the plague.
The first symptoms of the plague appeared within days after infection causing fever, headache, and a general feeling of weakness, followed by aches in the upper leg, white tongue, rapid pulse, slurred speech, confusion, and even fatigue.
By the third day, a painful swelling of the lymph glands in the neck, armpits, and groin occurred, and these enlarged areas were called “buboes.” These buboes are sometimes as large as an egg. Eventually, it bleeds oozing black pus producing putrid-smelling lesions.
Since then, the plague spread like wildfire through flea-infected rats, as well as individuals who had been infected. During that time, Newton was still a student when an outbreak hit London in 1665 — and he became obsessed with the disease.
The english mathematician and physicist was most famous for his discovery of the theory of gravity. But a couple of documents show that the 17th-century genius also believed that powdered toad and toad vomit could treat those who are infected by the bubonic plague.
Isaac Newton
Newton claimed that “the best” way to cure the plague was to suspend a toad “by the legs in a chimney for three days,” collect its vomit “with various insects in it, on to a dish of yellow wax,” and then combine “powdered toad with [its] excretions” in order to make lozenges that would be “worn about the affected area” and “banish the contagion.”
As unsubstantiated as Newton’s suggestion was, supposed remedies like his abound in the time of pandemics.
Nevertheless, the discovery is one of historic proportions. According to the auction house’s book specialist, Darren Sutherland, “Newton’s running notes represent the only significant writings on the subject by the world’s greatest scientific mind that we have been able to trace.”
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What do you think about Isaac Newton's proposition? If you were infected with the Bubonic plague, will you be desperate enough to drink toad vomit, in hopes that it would heal you? Comment down below and don’t forget to like and subscribe. Thank you for watching!
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