Casenotes
About
Available on
Community
133 episodes
This is the last episode in our Head to Toe series finishing, of course, with the feet! We set off on the right foot, put our best feet forward and jump in with both feet. We explore why ancient Egyptians had two left feet, why witches had flat feet, why ancient Greeks had one foot longer than the other and what you’d do with a ‘foot bag’. We also delve into the history of shoes – from pointed toes, to wide soles and ornate buckles. And we finish up with a lovely bit of historical corn cutting – not for the faint of heart! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr I B Sneddon lecture, fungal infections. Wellcome Trust, 1962. PDM 1.0 Deed
In this episode we explore the history of the throat – including lump in your throat, frog in your throat and, if you’re French, a cat in the throat. We delve into the art of changing your voice and Margaret Thatcher’s baritone. We also explore the longest case of hiccups on record. And, finally, we uncover the tale of the funeral mute – a Victorian mourning ritual that’ll leave you speechless. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Threads & yarns. Christine Stammers. Wellcome Trust,t 2011. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No derivatives 3.0 Unported International (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
In this episode we’re scooping fish liver oil out of a bucket of offal in the name of health. We’re also exploring the myth of Prometheus and some votive offerings and exploring just what they can tell us about the regeneration of the liver. And we’re going to dig into some old country offal in the form of haggis – and what it can tell us about anti-Scottish sentiment in 1700s England. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 1, Track 14. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In this episode we’ll explore perhaps the most confusing organ – the spleen. It’s a body part, a disease and a state of mind all in one. According to some it purified the blood, others thought it acted as a back-up liver. Romans thought the spleen stopped you from running fast and suggested burning it with a hot iron to speed up. Others argued that the spleen was the source of laughter and joy. The spleen might not make it onto a 21st century Greatest Hits of the Organs album, but it was key to ancient medicine. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our…ritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historian clip: Dr James Kennaway
In this episode we explore the history of the brain. Brains in jars, brains in slices, brains under the microscope - more brains than you can shake a wet slice of human brain at. From Einstein’s brain chopped into 240 pieces to Charles Babbage, who at least only had his sliced in two. We also explore the history of emotions – with a bit of good old stiff upper lip we keep calm and carry on. And we delve into the history of mental illness – how Victorians were convinced you could be too loud, too quiet, too happy, too sad, but it was a tightrope walk to be just right for Victorian society. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Professor David Purdie
In this episode we explore the history of the leg. There’s a lot of fashion in this episode, from the use of flannel shirts to cure gout to the erotically charged nature of the pale calfskin trousers of Tudor men. We even delve into how one man’s leg injury caused a black velvet slipper craze. We also explore the history of amputation – from the prejudices of Victorian society against the use of prostheses to the battlefield capture of the cork leg of a Mexican general. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our…ritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: A leg to stand on. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Source: Wellcome Collection.
To sweat or not to sweat? Was sweating good or bad? Was it a treatment or a symptom? Was it something to be encouraged or prevented? The answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘Yes’. In this episode we explore the strange history of sweating sickness, what arsenic can do to your armpits and the creation of a market for underarm shaving. We also explore the history of deodorant – and its cynical marketing to women to improve their attractiveness and to men in the 1920s as a way to avoid unemployment and poverty. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 4, Track 16. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In this episode we explore the history of the heart and heart-based symbolism – including the origins of the association of the heart with love and romance. Would you gift a romantic partner your heart symbolically? How about literally? You could always be buried with the heart of a lover, or arrange to have your husband’s heart sent to you, if he died overseas. And you could prevent lovesickness with a range of treatments, including avoiding ‘flatulent and erotic meat’. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr Kristin Hussey
Do wombs have horns? Will the presence of a menstruating woman force bees to forsake their hives? Will your crops wither and die in the presence of menstrual blood? We’ll answer these pressing questions and more in this episode of our podcast. We’re also exploring how pregnant convicted criminals could ‘plead the belly’ to avoid execution, the murky world of Medieval monstrous births and how a womb could wander. And we finish up with some adorable womb toads – perhaps the most endearing of votive offerings. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Prof Helen King
In this episode we explore the history of the guts. Words and their meanings are a big part of this episode – where you can have a ‘gut feeling’ that someone ‘hates your guts’ and maybe after all you were ‘gutted’ to find out. We’re also exploring the changing meaning of the word hypochondria – from a pain in your stomach, to a disorder of the body’s nerves to, finally, an anxiety disorder. And in case that isn’t enough, we’re also going to talk about some ENORMOUS intestinal worms and how pork on a string is the only solution. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr James Kennaway
In this episode we explore the history of haemorrhoids, including a popular treatment which involved placing toads in the armpits. We also uncover the history of laxatives and enemas – with some unusual ingredients, including tobacco, and the judicious use of yoghurt and breakfast cereals. And, sticking with the theme, we take a look at some of the earliest scatological comedy – toilet paper may have changed, but some jokes have stood the test of time. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr Ericka Johnson
In this episode we explore the history of the bladder. It’s a urine-heavy episode as we take a deep dive into diuresis – including locally sourced diuretics commonly used in Scotland such as leeks, watercress and barley water. We also take a look at the taste-tastic practice of uroscopy, the communal history of chamberpots and the all important question – if both doctors and quacks are tasting urine, how do you decide who to trust with your health? Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr Jennifer Evans
In this episode we explore hands through the ages – from the evil associated with left handed folk, to the soft white hands of the upper class woman. Lead, arsenic and mercury were all applied to give the hands that pearly whiteness and soft hands acted as an indicator of class, status and refinement. We also dig into the curative power of the Royal Touch and the history of hand washing. And we finish up with some very animal-heavy treatments – including eating roasted mice and putting your finger in a cat’s ear! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Sophie Goggins
In this episode we explore the history of the veins. We’ll unpick the history of bloodletting – from leech farms to lancets, and mechanical bloodletters to ‘heroic’ bleeding. We’re looking into how modern day meme culture is influenced by Greek philosophers and how varicose veins have played on the minds, and legs, of sufferers for thousands of years. And we finish up with some ghoulish medical recipes – including ones where you fry up your own blood! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr Kristin Hussey
In this episode we explore how central the lungs were to Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about medicine and the body. Renaissance illustrations of the lungs were detailed and beautiful – but understanding of exactly what the lungs did and how they worked was still to be developed. We also discuss the historical treatment of asthma with ‘medicinal’ cigarettes, along with other supposed uses of tobacco to protect from the plague and as an antidote to poisoning. We also explore some of the most unusual lung-based medicines, including breast milk, sugar candy and liquorice! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip credit: Defeat tuberculosis. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
In this episode we explore exercise through the ages, from Ancient Greece to Victorian strong men - and their bar bending and book ripping antics. Exercise was often prescribed by doctors from the Renaissance to the modern day – usually in the form of horse riding, walking and gymnastics. We also explore the gendered origins of what is known as calisthenics – that is, exercise that is focused on grace and litheness, rather than visibly developed muscles. We also uncover the history of some great publications, including the aptly titled ‘British Manly Exercises’! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr Kristin Hussey
The tongue has long been viewed as a meaning-laden symbol as well as a flappy mouth muscle. In this episode we explore the history of the scold’s bridle – a tongue-based punishment usually used against women for talking out of turn. We also uncover the supposed historical causes of stuttering – from too much tickling to looking in a mirror. And we explore some pleasant sounding tongue-related historical treatments – from sugar candy and wine drinking to cinnamon water and honey. Finally, a change from all the dung-based recipes we’ve been looking at! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Oesophageal speech after laryngectomy. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
In this episode we explore the changing perceptions of fatness – from the fashionable fatness of the 1300s, 1400s and 1500s to the weight loss schemes of the 1700s and 1800s. The loaded history of language – from plumpness, to corpulence, to obesity – says a lot about the cultural perception of weight gain. We also uncover some of the strange stories of the risks of corpulence – including spontaneous combustion! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Dr James Kennaway
In this episode we explore the history of the breast. We’ll unpick some myths about Amazonian warriors and supposed witches, before uncovering the complex power dynamics of wet nursing and breast-feeding culture. Gender and class collide with disablism when you dig into who breast fed their own child. And if that doesn’t sound like enough we explore the strange things that were believed to come out of the nipples and what they were thought to indicate! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 1, Track 14. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
The mouth is the gateway to the body – so what better way to understand what is happening inside you, than to examine and explore the inside of your mouth. In this episode we explore the history of the mouth’s lumps and bumps – from syphilitic lesions to indications of melancholy. We also uncover the strange and varied history of lipstick – from a mark of warriors in battle, to an illegal practice, to the illicit trade in beauty products. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our…ritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 6, Track 2. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Hair could indicate you were virile, dangerous, untrustworthy, jealous, or just plain old unsanitary. We trace the ups and downs of hairdos, wig use and hair colouring in this podcast episode. Including some unsettling treatments for hair removal, baldness and dandruff. As the styling of women’s hair moved from the home to the salon, so hair treatments moved from pigeon droppings and urine to electricity and x-rays. We also explore the Victorian market in hair sewing, hair jewellery and gifting your own hair. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 1, Track 14. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Hearing, and by extension the ear, was viewed as a civilising influence in the Victorian era. Music was a popular form of therapy, particularly for hysterical or melancholy patients. In this episode we explore ideas around deafness and how, in Victorian society, colonialism, Darwinism and eugenics led to an emphasis on the importance of being ‘normal’ (very much in quote marks!) and having access to all five senses. And we finish up by looking at some ear-related treatment, including hot urine, turpentine and goat dung! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Guest historian clip: Prof James Kennaway, Historian of Medicine at Groningen University.
Teeth have been a constant source of pain and problems throughout history – from rotting teeth and tooth pullers, to false teeth and the horrors of historical dentistry. In this episode we explore the history of toothpaste and the mighty toothbrush and the story behind artificial teeth implants made from ivory, bone, and even real human teeth! And we finish up by looking at some tooth-related treatments, including spider’s webs, raven dung and a red hot iron! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Guest historian clip: Professor Glen O'Hara - Oxford Brookes University.
Would you chow down on a human skull to treat your headache? In this episode we explore the history of medical cannibalism and how it ties in with colonialism and Victorian high society. In a world where you can nip down the shops for a jar of fresh femurs, exactly how far was too far? We also explore the history of phrenology and the medical significance of examining the skull. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Guest clip: Professor Dame Sue Black DBE is a forensic anthropologist, anatomist and academic.
Smell might be one of the main senses but its had a rocky history – going in and out of fashion, and written off as one of the less refined or civilised of the senses. Seen as tied to class and somehow less evolved, we 21st century smellers are missing out by comparison to the smell buffets available to Ancient Romans. In this episode we talk about the meaning of nose shapes, the expense of washing your body and the euphemistic nature of the nose. And we finish up by looking at some nose-related treatments, including cobwebs, butter and nettles! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage Credits Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte. Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers. Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history. Guest historian clip: Dr Noelle Gallagher is Senior Lecturer in Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture at the University of Manchester.
The eye is one body part which has been loaded with meaning throughout history – it is a symbol, as much as it is an organ of the body. From the evil eye, the eye of the Fates, to the history of spectacles and the medicinal uses of eyes. In this episode we explore which treatments have the gelatinous consistency of eyes as well as Highlands medical practices relating to the eye. And, finally, some early recipes to treat eye complaints. Blood in the eyes anyone? Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage
When you’re talking about the history of skin, what is the line between beauty and health? In this episode we examine how doctors treatments of the skin in the past were often as concerned with aesthetics as they were with curing disease. We also uncover the medicalisation of class, race and gender that was explored through the medium of the skin. And we finish up with some particularly disgusting recipes – including crocodile dung and toads! Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest podcasts, videos and events. Subscribe here: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sign-our-heritage-newsletter Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage
Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast. In this fortnight’s episode we uncover the history of Cardiology. ‘What was a bruit de soufflet’? Why was the heart left inside the body during mummification? And how did tapping on wine barrels lead to a new examination method? We also talk to Dr Omar Fersia about his experiences working as a Consultant Cardiologist, including fitting a pacemaker in a colleague. And, to finish off, our case study looks at how a Scottish physician, Sir James Mackenzie, became known as the ‘Father of British Cardiology’. Website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: https://twitter.com/RCPEHeritage
Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast. In this episode we explore the history of dermatology. We start with anatomical texts and the history of flaying and displaying human skin. We then uncover dermatology illustrations, wax models and photography, along with some of the great figures who advanced the study of skin diseases. Then we talk to Dr Ophelia Dadzie – a dermatologist working today. And we end with the case study of Mrs Mathews, a little-known patient of Dr William Cullen, an Edinburgh physician in the late 1700s. Treatments prescribed to Mathews included blistering and bloodletting and we explore the history of cutting, breaking and opening the skin as forms of treatment. Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage
Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast. In this episode we explore the history of paediatrics, including the importance placed on maternal milk, the differentiation between adult and child medical care and the development of Children’s hospitals. We then talk to Dr Ailsa McLellan, a consultant paediatric neurologist about her experience working with children, treatments targeted to genetic conditions and specialisation of services. And for this week’s case study, we look at how physicians tackled the treatment of Rickets in the early 20th century. Website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage Twitter: https://twitter.com/RCPEHeritage
