Curing by pulling

Around 1910, some people believed that extracting teeth could cure mental disorders.

Dr. Henry Cotton (Trenton, New Jersey hospital for the insane) thought that bacterial infections could cause brain damage and that he would emerge proof of that from practice.

When he did not get any results from making his patients toothless, he extracted their tonsils, and when this also proved ineffectual, he started taking away more vital organs.

Cotton claimed a cure rate of 85 percent. A thorough investigation, however, resulted in a death rate of nearly 43 percent! The medical authorities covered it up, and Cotton continued extracting teeth for many years! He clearly was obsessed and even had some of his own teeth extracted to cure his heart failure. His wife and two sons also lost teeth because of his strong convictions.

It didn't bring any good; they both committed suicide when they were still quite young.....