Physicians' Gallery

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Historical clip: Dr Jennifer Evans