Christina Agapakis is fascinated by this Urine Wheel from 1506:
The Urine Wheel was used for diagnosing diseases based on the color, smell, and taste of the patient’s urine in the early 16th century. Many diseases affect metabolism and many changes in metabolism can be detected in the urine. For example, diabetics will excrete sugar in their urine–sometimes enough sugar that it can be fermented into whisky. There are many other diseases that change the smell of a person’s urine, including the very descriptively named Maple Syrup Urine Disease or Sweaty Feet Syndrome, now much more likely to be diagnosed by electronic sensor arrays than actually tasting the urine.
Nicola Twilley rounds up more wheels.
(Image: The Urine Wheel for diagnosing metabolic diseases, from Epiphanie Medicorum by Ullrich Pinder)