Article created by: Donata Ruzgaitė

As time advances, science tends to progress, and medical technology improves. That’s probably no surprise to anyone. But it’s only when you physically see historical health-related contraptions that you can genuinely begin to appreciate modern developments.

We want to give you a unique glimpse into the recent past, so our team at Bored Panda has collected some of the most fascinating photos of old-school medical inventions.

They look so bizarre that they could easily be mistaken for something out of The Twilight Zone or a retrofuturistic movie. Scroll down to take a peek and to get even more appreciation for modern tech. Oh, and don’t forget to show these to your friends working in medicine!

Read More: 29 Medical Pics From The Past That Might Make You Glad Modern Science Is So Good

#1 The Rubella Vaccine Research Team

This photograph captures a pivotal moment in medical history, showing Drs. Harry Meyer Jr. and Paul Parkman with scientist Hope Hopps at the National Institutes of Health. In this lab, the team successfully isolated the rubella virus and developed a crucial blood test to determine immunity. Their groundbreaking work in the 1960s directly led to the creation of the rubella vaccine, which has since prevented millions of birth defects and virtually eliminated the disease in many parts of the world.

Image credits: Jerry Hecht

#2 A Woman Tries On A Portable Respirator

This 1955 photograph shows a patient using a portable respirator, a significant advancement from the massive "iron lung" chambers used during the polio epidemic. The device, consisting of a chest plate connected by a hose to a bedside pump, allowed patients with paralyzed respiratory muscles to breathe. This innovation offered a greater degree of freedom and the possibility of recuperating in the comfort of their own homes rather than being confined to a hospital ward.

Image credits: Hans Meyer / Getty Images

#3 Early Dialysis Machines In Germany

During the German occupation of the Netherlands, Dutch physician Willem Kolff invented the first functioning artificial kidney machine, a groundbreaking device for treating kidney failure. Fearing the German authorities would confiscate his life-saving invention, Kolff and his team famously hid the bulky, rotating-drum dialysis machines in the hospital garden at Kampen.

Image credits: National WWII Museum

#4 A Patient Getting Treated In The Iron Lung

Image credits: The National Library of Medicine

#5 Tapeworms Were Prescribed For Weight Loss

In the early 20th century, a bizarre and dangerous weight-loss trend involved intentionally ingesting tapeworms. People would swallow sanitized pills containing a tapeworm egg, hoping the parasite would hatch and consume the food in their intestines, leading to weight loss without dieting. The practice was incredibly risky, often causing severe malnutrition, abdominal pain, and other serious health complications instead of the desired results.

Image credits: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

#6 A Newborn Baby Receiving Oxygen In Berlin In 1939

Image credits: ullstein bild Dtl. / Getty Images

#7 Plague Doctor Had To Wear Bizarre Uniforms

These are the bizarre and terrifying outfits worn by plague doctors during the 17th-century outbreaks. The most famous feature is the long, bird-like mask, which was stuffed with herbs and spices to purify the "bad air" thought to cause the disease. A long wax-covered gown, gloves, and a wide-brimmed hat were meant to protect the doctor from head to toe, creating a grim figure that became a symbol of the Black Death itself.

Image credits: General Photographic Agency / Getty Images

#8 The Extreme Look Of Cobalt Therapy

Image credits: Unknown author

#9 Guillaume Duchenne Forces A Patient To Laugh

French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne is seen using electrical probes to stimulate the facial muscles of a patient. Duchenne believed that specific muscles were linked to distinct emotions, and by applying these currents, he could artificially induce expressions like joy, fear, and pain.

Image credits: Hulton Deutsch / Getty Images

#10 A Woman Gets Treated In An Electric Cabinet

Image credits: Library and Archives Canada

#11 An Early X-Ray Machine

This photograph from around 1929 showcases an early Roentgen X-ray machine at a German institute. This cumbersome setup was a necessary precaution against the constant exposure to harmful radiation, a poorly understood but increasingly recognized threat in the pioneering days of medical imaging.

Image credits: Underwood Archives / Getty Images

#12 A Bizarre Looking Aviation Eye Test

This 1960 photograph captures a strange experiment at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine. Dr. G. H. Byford is shown wearing a contact lens fitted with a miniature lamp while standing beneath a rotating optokinetic drum. The setup was designed to study the involuntary reflex movements of the eye and understand how visual illusions could affect a pilot's perception and stability during flight.

Image credits: Harry Thompson / Getty Images

#13 Electrical Treatment For Psychological Disorders During Wwi

Image credits: otisarchives4

#14 A Lithotomy Crutch From The 1890s That Was Used For Bladder Surgery

This strange-looking device is a 19th-century lithotomy crutch, used to hold a patient in a vulnerable and excruciating position for bladder stone surgery. Before the operation, a surgeon would strap the patient's ankles into the cuffs and hoist their legs up toward their ears to get the best access to the bladder. The invasive and unanesthetized procedure that followed was notoriously painful and had an incredibly high mortality rate.