When we hear the word “torture”, diseases don’t usually come to mind. Ordinarily, the initial image is that of medieval-type devices such as the stockade, the iron maiden, contraptions that stretch or tear a person apart, limb from limb, or the Chinese methods of water torture. As fascinating as it is to read about all the different ways people used to be punished and to drop our jaws in amazement at the sight of such historical exhibits, it’s not quite as often that we realize the magnitude of pain that victims of torture have undergone.
We’re incredibly fortunate that mainstream society has mostly abandoned these inhumane and otherwise repugnant forms of punishment. There are some countries on the other side of our big, blue marble, however, that still utilize things like water torture, stretching, public stoning, and dragging, and depending on the country’s cultural norms, a torturable offense is sometimes a freedom that we take for granted every day; such as a woman leaving her home without her husband to escort her. But, what happens when one is afflicted with a disease or condition which causes continuous severe pain? Most of the time, when intense or uncontrollable pain is involved, a person is plagued by an illness which they couldn’t avoid.
The following list introduces us to some of the most dreadfully hellacious diseases and conditions known to man. They are so terribly excruciating that they could be considered some of the most agonizing forms of torture both physically and mentally. While the names of some are recognizable as relatively common, others are so rare that we’re willing to bet this is the first you’ve ever heard of them. (And the last you’ll ever want to.)
15. Cystic Fibrosis
Quite the vexatious condition, Cystic Fibrosis is a genetically inherited disorder which primarily affects the lungs, yet is such a generous villain that it also torments the intestine, kidneys, liver, and pancreas. In addition to robbing a person of an average life expectancy past the age of 37, its effects include intensely painful coughing up of thick, sticky mucous due to very frequent chest infections, clubbing of fingers and toes, and inhibited growth and weight gain. Sure, many of us would gladly endure a little coughing if it meant we could eat whatever we wanted and not gain weight, but some CF patients have endured such forceful hacking that they have literally coughed up tiny pieces of lung tissue. One CF patient reports of her experience, “At times, the pain is so bad that it feels like my chest is being squeezed by the hand of God, and trying to breathe is the equivalent of attempting to suck oxygen through a mud-lined cocktail straw. I’m basically drowning slowly in my own mucous.”
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