Physicians' Gallery

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!

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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

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

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

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

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

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

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 Lauren Barnett is a writer, lecturer and London horror film walking guide.

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

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

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 Mary Fissell is professor in the Department of the History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University.

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’.

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

Credits

Editor and producer: 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.

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.

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

Credits

Editor and producer: 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.

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.

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

Credits

Editor and producer: 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.

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 be talking more about a historical figure who inspires him.

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

Credits

Editor and producer: 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.

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 Marie Copeland about her experience working as a specialist in leukaemia at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. We discuss the differences between a haematologist and haematopathologist, why iron is important for blood and how the management of some blood related conditions has changed.

Lastly, we explore the complicated history of haemophilia in the Royal family and why it became known as the ‘Royal disease’.

Twitter: twitter.com/RCPEHeritage

Instagram: instagram.com/physiciansgallery/

Facebook: facebook.com/PhysiciansGallery

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@physiciansgallery

Credits

Editor and producer: 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.