Why did arsenic used to be a common remedy for most illnesses?

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It seems like back before modern medicine was a thing, prescribing arsenic for almost all ailments was all the rage. I’m going to assume that people weren’t just idiots in the past and that there was a reason for that.

Do small amounts of arsenic make you feel temporarily good or something like that? Is it a case of arsenic being useful for one specific illness and doctors then prescribing it for everything? Basically, why would they prescribe poison to people???

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Anonymous 0 Comments

I’m not so sure about the wisdom of ancient practices. Women would commonly paint their faces with lead to achieve that alabaster pale look that was so popular back then. A deadly practice.

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