“We Have Conquered Pain!” The Uses & Abuses of Ether in History
The surgical revolution began with an American dentist and a curiously sweet-smelling liquid known as ether.
The Medicalization of Death in History
When the Black Death swept through Europe in the 14th century, it claimed the lives of over 75 million people, many of who were clergymen whose job it was to help usher the dying into the next world. In response to the shortage of priests, the Ars Moriendi (Art of Dying) first emerged in 1415. […]
Hold The Butter! A Brief History of Gorging
’Tis the season for overeating! Mince pies, buttery rolls, homemade stuffing, turkey joints…all topped off with a dollop of cranberry sauce. In January, we’ll all heave a collective groan as we step onto the scales for the first time and face the consequences of our gluttony.
Disturbing Disorders: Sirenomelia (Mermaid Syndrome)
The sea king down there had been a widower for years, and his old mother kept house for him…she was an altogether praiseworthy person, particularly so because she was extremely fond of her granddaughters, the little sea princesses. They were six lovely girls, but the youngest was the most beautiful of them all. Her skin […]
The Battle of the Tooth Worm
I come across a lot of strange objects in my research: books bound in human skin, prosthetic noses made of silver, iron coffins with safety devices to prevent premature burial. But perhaps one of the strangest objects I’ve seen is the one pictured on the left. This is a depiction of the infamous tooth worm […]
YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY
Children of the 70s and 80s will likely remember Oregon Trail, the computer game where the player assumes the role of wagon leader and guides a group of settlers through the pioneer landscape of 19th-century America. You would hunt bison, shoot rabbits, ford rivers and pick up other settlers as you made your way from […]
Ray-Ban’s Predecessor? A Brief History of Tinted Spectacles
A recent conversation with Matthew Ward from History Needs You piqued my curiosity about a pair of spectacles in the Wellcome Collection [pictured left]. At first glance, you may think these oddly tinted glasses belong to the wardrobe department of a whimsical Tim Burton film. And yet, these glasses are over 200 years old, made […]