In this talk Dr Dan O'Brien discusses the history of funerals and coffins.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/after-life-history-death-exhibition-launch-0Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGalleryTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@p…

This lecture explores some famous historical body parts, through the eyes of author Suzie Edge.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/vital-organs-history-worlds-most-famous-body-partsTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGalleryTikTok…

In this talk Dr Jessica Sharkey considers why Henry VIII is buried in relative obscurity, why Edward VI was cast as a sickly Lord Fauntleroy and why Elizabeth I refused to be married to her winding sheet.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/sad-stories-death-kings-end-tudorsTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeri…

In this talk Professor Jonathan Reinarz explores the history of burn scars over the last two centuries.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/historical-reflections-burn-scarsTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGalleryTikTok: https:/…

In this talk Prof Seamus O'Mahony, a member of the Lancet Commission on The Value of Death, explores the idea of a 'good death' in the 21st century.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/after-life-history-death-exhibition-launch-0Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery…

This lecture explores Roald Dahl and his interest in medicine through the eyes of his doctor and friend, Professor Tom Solomon.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/roald-dahls-marvellous-christmas-medicineTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/…

In this talk Dr Katie Aske discusses the history of skincare.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/skin-layered-history-exhibition-launchTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGalleryTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery…

In this talk Dr Emily Cock uses some of the immense volume of colonial administrative paperwork to illuminate experiences of individual prisoners with variable health and permanent disabilities. You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/health-and-disability-convict-sydneyTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageIns…

How did people in the past decide what to eat and what not to? What factors shaped their decisions? How did they obtain the information necessary to shape these decisions? And how did this information evolve over the course of the ‘early modern’ period (1500-1800)?In this talk Professor David Gentilcore explores the changing nature of the genre of …

In this talk Dr Kate Stephenson explores the strange and fascinating history of condoms. You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/history-condomsTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGalleryTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgalle…

In this talk Dr Matt Lodder presents an overview of his new book ‘Painted People’, and argues that through the history of tattooing, we can glean unique insights into forgotten areas of human history.You can also watch this talk on our website: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/talks/painted-people-untold-history-tattooingTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHer…

We're off on a new journey into the muddy marshes of medical history!Website: www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritageTwitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritageInstagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGalleryTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgalleryBy Physicians' Gallery at RCPE

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 …

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 Victoria…

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 ant…

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…

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…

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 pr…

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 a…

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 …

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 murk…

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…

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…

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 que…

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 Roya…

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 yea…

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’ ci…

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 cal…

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 e…

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 stori…

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 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 …

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 treatm…

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 ‘norm…

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 w…

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 signi…

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 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…

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. …

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 e…

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 …

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 neuro…

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we explore the history of ophthalmology, or diseases and treatments of the eyes. Then we talk to Dr Justin McKee – a specialist currently working in the field of medical ophthalmology. As usual we’ll end up with a case study – in this episode Justin will …

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this fortnight’s episode we look into the past and present of haematology. Discover what it meant to be sanguinous, why early blood transfusions were prohibited by Parliament and how WW2 transformed the infrastructure of blood donation in the UK. We talk to Professor …

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we explore the history of neurology. We start with the history of the word neurology, before uncovering some of the key figures in the history of neurology – from physicians in the 1600s to the 1900s and the origins of Parkinson’s Disease.Then we talk to …

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we explore the history of Emergency Medicine. From the wound man and battlefield triage to Dutch fumigation and the Trotting horse method, and everything in between!We also talk to Dr Kerri Baker, a Consultant Acute Physician and General Physician, about …

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we uncover the history of pharmacology and therapeutics. From Ancient Greek medicine, including humoural theory, to some of the more unusual medicines prescribed by doctors – including sponge biscuits, chocolate and wine.We also talk to Dr Mike Sweeney ab…

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we explore the history of respiratory medicine. We start with tuberculosis – discussing its many names, and its famous sufferers – from Kafka to Jane Austen and George Orwell. We also uncover the work of Sir John Crofton in tackling this deadly disease. T…

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we uncover the history of infectious diseases, including the study of contagion and smallpox inoculation.We also talk to Dr James Whitehorn about what it is like to work as an infectious disease specialist today.And we finish with a case study of Typhoid …

Casenotes Past & Present is a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh podcast.In this episode we uncover the history of oncology, or the study and treatment of cancer. From Ancient Egyptian recordings on papyrus to chimney sweeps in the 1700s and the great advances in treatment produced by Marie and Pierre Curie’s research.We also talk to Dr Carol…