Sir Isaac Newton — famous for developing the three laws of motion and advancing calculus — apparently had a far-out idea for how to treat the plague, also called the black death: toad-vomit lozenges.
In addition to recommending a number of gemstone amulets against the plague, he gave detailed instructions on how to make the putrid toad-vomit treatment, according to two unpublished pages handwritten by Newton that are now on the auction block.
Newton describes in detail how to suspend a toad by its legs in a chimney for three days, until it vomits up "earth with various insects in it." This vomit must be caught on "a dish of yellow wax," he added.
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