These widespread practices in the Wild West show how wild the times really were

By YEET MAGAZINE | Updated 1408 GMT (2208 HKT) September 29, 2021

Drink to kill leeches

Falling ill in the lands of the Old West was no picnic. Even if you could find a doctor, there was no guarantee that the treatment would be effective.

Often bleeding was the only solution offered, sometimes with the help of leeches. And if the patient inadvertently swallowed one of these leeches, then the remedy was to drink a glass of wine every 15 minutes in the hope that the alcohol would kill the beast. It's a funny idea, but in the end, the patient shouldn't have complained more than that.