7. Hopeless Case

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During the 13th Century it was not unusual for physicians to treat victims of torture. Sometimes the injuries resulted from beatings with whips or from being hung by the limbs. William of Saliceto, a noted 13th Century physician authored a medical text that included some unusual recommendations. Among them was the advice to wrap a torture victim in the fleece of a freshly-killed animal, or, as an alterative, burying the patient in a mound of fresh horse manure. He was also careful to point out the following: “If he is dead…do not attempt to treat.”