History Matters

Thoughts, opinions and commentary on all things historical.

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The Morality of Medicine

The rise of laboratory science in the late 19th century put stark focus on the moral cost of medical innovation.

Marketing Dennis the Menace

How has The Beano’s Dennis the Menace survived the rise of television, increased cultural consumption and the digital age? 

Desperate Measures

Driven to extremes by the expectations loaded on them, some men turned to self-castration. 

Baby Boom or Bust?

The Covid pandemic seems to have caused a birth dearth. Historically, how have countries responded to falling birthrates?

The Abode of Madness

The long history of no man’s land, from lawlessness and desolation to hope and regrowth.