The Original Anti-Vaxxers
When widespread vaccination was introduced there were objections – some justified, some not.
Medicine & Disease
Doctor Who?
A search for the first doctor.
The First Blind Medical Trials
Cures and treatments have always offered potential riches to their inventors. But how was one supposed to know what worked and what didn’t?
The Lessons of Shell Shock
The global crisis wrought by the First World War prompted the birth of free mental health care.
Pandemics: Now and Then
As human populations expand and their exploitation of the globe increases, so does their vulnerability to certain diseases.
A Hospital ‘Manned by Women’
The First World War offered new opportunities for enterprising female doctors.
Removing That Little Knot
A Victorian doctor offering to cure female ‘lunacy’ came under fire for his scandalous new operation: female genital mutilation.
Misery in the Head
In the stomach, the mind, or the brain – migraine’s causes and remedies have been debated for 2,000 years.
The Torrid Zone
In the 18th century, Europeans in the tropics found themselves beset by an array of unpleasant afflictions. They blamed black women, the climate and the strength of their own masculinity.
Snuffs and Sneezes Cure Diseases
In the 17th and 18th centuries, patients were encouraged to snuff, snort and sneeze their way out of a whole range of ailments and illnesses.