11 Bizarre Remedies Used to Treat the 1918 Spanish Flu

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BY CHRISTOPHER McFADDEN

1. Booze: 
One of the most amusing, if bizarre, remedies for the Spanish flu was booze -- liquor to be precise. 

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2. Cutting Onions: The idea was, that cut onions had the ability to pull germs (or contagion/miasma) out of the air, thereby keeping you safe. 

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3. Snake oil: Believe it or not, but "genuine" snake oil salesmen appear to have, excuse the pun, made a killing during the Spanish flu.

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Dr. Jenna Crowe-Riddell

4. Laxatives: The idea was to keep your body flushing out any and all toxins.

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5.  Camphor oil:
Some doctors even suggested injecting it directly into a patient's arms and legs in an effort to control their fever.

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6. Toxic fumes: 
During the Spanish flu, English villagers observed that factory workers who were regularly exposed to noxious gases appeared to have lower relative death rates.

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More in the article. 

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