How were hernias taken care of in the old days before surgery?

Answer 1

You mean like a hiatal hernia? My grandfather probably had one. He just knew he had terrible indigestion and pain. So, when the milk arrived each morning on the front step, he would get it and skim the cream off the top and eat it with a spoon to try and sooth his discomfort. Of course we know now that is the WORST thing you could do is to eat a lot of dairy products. But this was in the 30s-40s. My grandfather also did another strange thing. He died of lung cancer but he constantly had a terrible cough for years before he died and he would eat Vick's Vapo-Rub to try and stop the cough. Blick.

Answer 2

A hernia is a lump that results from a part of the intestine (bowel) slipping through a weakness in the abdominal wall. The most common hernias are inguinal hernias (groin hernias).There are three types of inguinal hernia: indirect inguinal hernia which is common in children - they may be present at birth - and young people. They are mostly seen in males but can also occur in females. Direct inguinal hernias mostly afflict adults, especially middle-aged and elderly men. Femoral hernia is rarer than the other types and mainly affects women. In days gone by a “Truss” was used, and is still used these days, but usually as a treatment whilst the patient is awaiting surgery, it is a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to hold a hernia in place by pressure.
Hope this helps
Matador 89

Answer 3

They probably tried to push them back in or just lived with it. Surgery has been around a while though--some doctors probably attempted it, even though they probably didn't have the sucess modern medicine does.

Answer 4

Most simply bound them up tightly, using straps, cloths, and a variety of other items.