Uncategorized
The tracks of a spider whose legs had been dipped in ink
Doctors’ handwriting has long had a poor reputation, and I was amused to find this specimen, sent in to The Chemist and Druggist by an appalled pharmacist in June 1874. A couple of months later, the magazine reported that the Scientific American had reproduced the prescription, commenting that it: might indicate the vagaries of Planchette … Continue reading
The Benefits of Phrenology
In honour of UK Census Day, here’s one way in which phrenology proved of great help in 1891: Source: The Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle, 11 April 1891 . . Tweet
Happy Christmas!
A huge thank you to everyone who has read, recommended and retweeted The Quack Doctor during 2010! Picture: An 1880s promotional image for Mother Seigel’s Curative Syrup. Tweet
‘Roast ribs of beef and plum pudding’ – Christmas in the Victorian hospital
Above: Christmas at the Middlesex Hospital, Illustrated London News, 3 January 1874 . On Christmas Day 1898, one of the house surgeons at the London Hospital dressed as Father Christmas and did the rounds of the wards, accompanied by a medical student togged up as Pierrot and pushing a trolley full of presents for the … Continue reading
Worms, frogs and the strange world of the internet
This is a bit of a lazy post, I know, but I thought I’d share with you some recent search terms that have led people to The Quack Doctor. Some of them are quite an eye-opener and not for the faint-hearted! All spelling and punctuation is exactly as it is on arrival. . Let’s start with … Continue reading
Carnivalesque
It’s time for a round-up of the latest blog posts on early modern history, and I’m pleased to be hosting the 60th edition of Carnivalesque. If you’re interested in hosting a future history carnival, please visit the site and get in touch with Sharon or Julie. ———————- Let’s dive in and begin with witchcraft, political machinations … Continue reading
History Carnival & Newsletter
I will be hosting the next edition of Carnivalesque on 21 March, so am now inviting nominations of your favourite recent blog posts on any aspect of early modern history. You can use the Carnivalesque form, or contact me direct. Please nominate specific posts rather than whole blogs, and don’t be modest – I positively encourage … Continue reading
The Elixir of Opium podcast, plus award news
Podcast: Play in new window | Download A couple of weeks ago a I did a post about McMunn’s Elixir of Opium, and because I had quite a bit of information about it, I intended to do a podcast. Unfortunately I was suffering from the worst cold ever (N.B. every cold I have is the … Continue reading
McMunn’s Elixir of Opium
Podcast: Play in new window | Download Source: Western Journal of Medicine and Surgery (Louisville, KY), July 1855 Click here for Transcript There are no prizes for guessing what was in this. First formulated in the mid 1830s by Dr John B McMunn (or M’Munn), it became a big hit in the US once a … Continue reading
Harness’ Electric Corset (with podcast)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download . Source: The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times, 31 December 1892 . I’ve decided to have a go at doing a podcast. It’s about 13 mins long and goes into much more detail than the post below, so if you’ve got time, do have a listen. If … Continue reading
