Frog in your throat

Although it is hard to believe now, at one time, medieval physicians believed that the secretions of a frog could cure a cough if they were coated on the throat of the patient.

That in itself sounds repulsive, but what makes the idea even worse is the application of the secretions.

Instead of painting the treatment on, something which may almost have seemed rational, a live frog was placed into the mouth of the sufferer where it remained until the physician decided that the treatment was complete.

Apparently, Shakespeare’s son-in-law, Dr Hall, was familiar with this remedy.

It’s no wonder that today, a froggy or croaky attempt at speech is said to be a ‘frog in your throat’!