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EPISODE · Sep 14, 2026 · 6 MIN

A brief history of cannibalism - Bill Schutt

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Human cannibalism is a lot more common than you might think. Dive into its complex history and see its uses in medicine, cultural rituals and in times of survival. --15th century Europeans believed they had hit upon a miracle cure: a remedy for epilepsy, hemorrhage, bruising, nausea and virtually any other medical ailment. It was a brown powder known as “mumia,” and was made by grinding up mummified human flesh. But just how common is human cannibalism, and how do cultures partake in it? Bill Schutt explores the complex history of cannibalism. Lesson by Bill Schutt, directed by Basa.Check out our full book recommendation: http://bit.ly/BookRecCannibalismSign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterSupport us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagramView full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-cannibalism-bill-schuttThank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Mauricio Basso, Athena Grace Franco, Tirath Singh Pandher, Melvin Williams, Tsz Hin Edmund Chan, Nicolas Silva, Raymond Lee, Kurt Almendras, Denise A Pitts, Abdallah Absi, Dee Wei, Richard A Berkley, Tim Armstrong, Daniel Nester, Hashem Al, denison martins fernandes, Doug Henry, Arlene Spiegelman, Michał Friedrich, Joshua Wasniewski, Maryam Dadkhah, Kristiyan Bonev, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Emilia Alvarado, Jaime Arriola, Mirzat Tulafu, Lewis Westbury, Felipe Hoff, Rebecca Reineke, Cyrus Garay, Victoria Veretilo, Michael Aquilina, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Valeria Sloan Vasquez, Mike Azarkman, Yvette Mocete, Pavel Maksimov, Victoria Soler-Roig, Betsy Feathers, Samuel Barbas, Therapist Gus, Sai Krishna Koyoda, Elizabeth Parker, William Bravante, Irindany Sandoval and Mark wisdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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