A bad use for good wine
This promising headline appeared in an issue of the Philosophical Transactions published in 1755. ‘Success’ is an interesting choice of
Prodigies and monsters
Half man, half snake
Until the late nineteenth century, many people remained convinced that emotional experiences during pregnancy could have major psychological or even
Unfortunate predicaments
Difficulty getting it down
Here’s a painful tale from The Journal of Foreign Medical Science and Literature, published in 1823: not for children or
Horrifying operations, Primitive equipment
The twelve-hour tonsillectomy
Until fairly recently, tonsillectomy was quite a common procedure – and for many children their first experience of surgery. Because
Unusual treatments
Mercury snuff
Mercury has a long history as a therapeutic drug. Used by Arab doctors in the Middle Ages to treat skin disorders,
Unfortunate predicaments
“Catch anything, darling?” “Only Granny”
The New-Orleans Medical Journal for 1844 contains this tale of a lucky escape, an ingenious doctor and a very naughty
Unusual treatments
On leeches, and how to catch them
Leeches were one of the most commonly prescribed medical treatments until the late nineteenth century. They were a convenient way of
John Keats: Ode to a Black Eye
On the first day of the Ashes Test at Lord’s, here is a cricketing curiosity – a Romantic poet picking up