Nowadays, to reduce obesity, people go to the gym, do keto diet, adopt intermittent fasting or take medicines like Ozempic. But a hundred years ago, especially in the Victorian era of the 19th century, women used to risk their lives in the desire to look beautiful and slim.
His method of losing weight was so dangerous that it could have even cost him his life. His method was to swallow tapeworm eggs.
Yes, in the Victorian era a thin waist was considered ideal. Women used to tighten their waist up to 18-20 inches by wearing corsets (tight clothes), but when even this was not enough, they used to adopt tapeworm diet. They would swallow tapeworm eggs in the form of capsules or pills. The larva would emerge from the egg in the stomach and the worm would start growing. This tapeworm (Taenia saginata or Taenia solium) used to live in the intestines of humans and suck the nutrition of the host. Result: appetite decreased, nutrients were absorbed less and weight decreased rapidly. A worm could be up to 30 feet (about 9 meters) long.
Victorian era beauty standards
At that time a thin body was considered a status symbol. Rich women were playing with their health in the name of fashion. Tapeworm capsules were sold in newspapers and advertisements. Some companies used to sell them under the name of “Sanitary Tapeworm”. Today this method is considered completely illegal and dangerous. Doctors warn that losing weight due to parasites can be fatal. WHO also considers tapeworm infection as a serious problem.