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  • Radium-Lined Cups Were Used To Make Radioactive Beverages on Random Horrific 20th Century Quack Medical Devices That Contained Radium

    (#1) Radium-Lined Cups Were Used To Make Radioactive Beverages

    These days, people drink bottled or filtered water. Back in the early 20th century, those who could afford it drank radioactive water. One popular way of making this water, which supposedly could cure many different ailments, involved the use of a metal cup or container that was lined with radium. Any water poured into the vessel was exposed to the radioactive material and picked up its properties. The Revigator was one such device; its makers claimed that it contained radon. Of course, this only "worked" if the device actually contained radium – many of the "radioactive" medical marvels on the market were scams. 

  • Radium Toothpaste Claimed To Make Teeth White And Shiny on Random Horrific 20th Century Quack Medical Devices That Contained Radium

    (#5) Radium Toothpaste Claimed To Make Teeth White And Shiny

    Radium wasn't just used in medical devices – it made its way into everyday beauty and household products as well. One of these hygienic products was toothpaste. According to ads, a small amount of radium in the toothpaste promised to make users' teeth very white and super shiny. Whether or not it worked is up for debate, but what is known is that radioactive exposure can actually make one's teeth fall out and result in a jaw rotting from the inside out

  • Gout And Neuralgia Were Taken Care Of With Radium Tablets on Random Horrific 20th Century Quack Medical Devices That Contained Radium

    (#12) Gout And Neuralgia Were Taken Care Of With Radium Tablets

    Radium tablets are still a legitimate medical treatment for people suffering from various types of cancer. However, back in the late 19th century, these tablets were sold on pharmacy shelves and supposedly cured gout, neuralgia (stabbing nerve pain), and numerous other ailments. These radioactive tablets, sold under brand names like Arium and Radione, were taken daily by people who simply wanted to feel better or have "the strength of iron." 

  • People Submerged Themselves In Radium-Laced Water At Spas on Random Horrific 20th Century Quack Medical Devices That Contained Radium

    (#2) People Submerged Themselves In Radium-Laced Water At Spas

    Going to spas and spending some time submerged in radioactive water was supposed to be an invigorating experience. In actuality, the natural radiation in these mineral hot springs might have made the spa goers feel relaxed – that is, until a few decades later when they realized that the "hot" water did more harm than good. During the time period, however, even reputable medical journals touted the healing abilities of radium and similar materials, and some claimed radium hot springs were a literal fountain of youth that could help slow the aging process. Some radium-filled hot springs are still in business today, but they limit people's exposure to any radioactive elements in the water. 

  • Radioactive Heating Pads Cured A Number Of Ailments on Random Horrific 20th Century Quack Medical Devices That Contained Radium

    (#13) Radioactive Heating Pads Cured A Number Of Ailments

    A radioactive heating pad that was lined with radium claimed to cure everything from rheumatism to standard aches and pains. The instructions for this particular device include warming it up, keeping it dry, and then applying it to the area of the body that hurts. Users could supposedly leave it on for up to 12 hours a day, and they were even encouraged to roll it up around a painful body part, such as an ankle, and tie it into place. 

  • Laying In Radioactive Sand Was A Treatment For Arthritis on Random Horrific 20th Century Quack Medical Devices That Contained Radium

    (#3) Laying In Radioactive Sand Was A Treatment For Arthritis

    One of the main byproducts of radium manufacturing is a fine-grained sand that is, of course, highly radioactive. Back in the early 1900s, before people realized how harmful exposure to it was, they claimed that exposure to the sand could successfully treat arthritis pain. Many spas opened up rooms where people could sit and rest their feet on the sand in the hopes of being cured. The ironic thing is that, even though people knew of the dangers that radioactivity could pose, these "Uranium Sitting Houses" were in business up through the 1950s. 

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The 20th century is an era of rapid development of basic science. The element radium number 88 was discovered by Marie Curie and her husband Pierre in 1898 when they were studying bituminous uranium. In 1903, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Physics and became the first woman to receive the prize. In the early 20th century, radium was loved by the medical field because of its amazing function to destroy cancer cells.

At that time, medical devices containing radium were widely used to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, etc. We now know that radium is radioactive and can treat cancer, but its early use in medical devices was life-threatening. The random tool introduced 15 horrifying medical devices of the 20th century that contained radium.

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