Physicians' Gallery

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 wom...

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...

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 h...

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 uri...

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 fi...

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 re...

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 tobacc...

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 g...

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 hist...

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 spontane...

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 ou...

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...

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 elec...

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...

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 trea...

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 n...

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 washin...

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...

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...

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,...

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 Dadz...

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...

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 ins...

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...

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 Dr Will Whiteley – a neurologist working today....