Adam Sheldrick- History of cannibalism

The history of the practice of cannibalism shifts from a dietary use to a medical practice around the 12th century. Beginning at around the 12th-century people would use human body parts and organs for medical needs. The dead would have their bodies donated whether they wanted to or not. They were often stolen fro the Egyptian tombs or taken from the Irish burial sites. The stolen remains were put together to make medicine for all kinds of treatments, one of them being the common headache. These practices were not around for very long and became less of a preferred option at the end of the 16th century, but still stuck around until the late 18th century. When the Age of Discovery came around it brought many people together that were not aware of each other’s religious practices. When the colonists came to America they were greeted by the Native American tribes. They soon found out that the Native Americans practiced cannibalism as a form of ritual that was used to strengthen the tribe and scare the other tribes. The same was done in Central and South America by the Aztec and the Inca who took part in cannibalism as a form of sacrifice. From an outsider perspective looking in, cannibalism seems to be inhumane and wrong, but in actuality, it is a norm for these people. Throughout history, we can see that cannibalism has been used for various forms of rituals as well as for dietary needs.