Douglas R.J. Small

The Rise and Fall of Snake Oil

Over the course of the 19th century snake oil transformed from folk remedy, to industrial medicine, to notorious fake.

Picture of a man thought to be Doc Holliday, 1882. GRANGER - Historical Picture Archive/Alamy Stock Photo.

Doc Holliday: The Perennial Sidekick

Misfit, Old West villain or tragic hero of the O.K. Corral: who was the real Doc Holliday?

Three cats singing, by Louis Wain, c. 1925-39. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

‘Catland’ by Kathryn Hughes review

Catland: Feline Enchantment and the Making of the Modern World by Kathryn Hughes follows the reinvention of the cat from working animal to purrfect pet.

Promotional photograph of Edward Payson Weston, New York, c.1860. Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images

Ready, Set, Show!

When a Victorian celebrity sportsman was found to be taking performance-enhancing drugs it caused a sensation, not a scandal.

Sherlock Holmes and Cocaine: The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Sherlock Holmes is the 19th century’s most famous cocaine user, but why did he take it?