{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69304179d6bc23eda246da43/6a3527546f90df4cb701f2ec?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Backwards Medicine","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69304179d6bc23eda246da43/4bb3e009-e094-44d9-8aac-88fe92392dd7.jpg?height=200","description":"The Weapon Salve (or Powder of Sympathy) was a widespread medical practice from the 16th to 18th centuries. Instead of treating a wound directly, physicians would apply a special ointment or powder to the weapon that caused the injury—the sword, knife, or arrow. The treatment was based on sympathetic magic: the belief that things once connected remain connected. Remarkably, patients often did recover better than those receiving conventional treatment. The reason? By leaving the wound alone and keeping it clean (rather than applying the era's toxic salves, poultices, and poking), the weapon salve accidentally stumbled into effective wound care through complete nonsense.","author_name":"Atween Studios"}