By In 1621 the scholar Robert Burton published The Anatomy of Melancholy. In this weighty tome Burton presented a medical discussion of the disease Melancholy (what would now cover a range of conditions including depression). The English translation of Lazare Riviere’s medical text outlined that ‘Melancholly is a Doting or Delirium
The Benefits of Juniper Berries
Today pubs and bars are filled to the brim with wondrous varieties of Gin. The spirit has been resurgent in recent years becoming the fashionable drink of discerning customers. Its varied flavours created through the use of different botanical blends broadens its appeal, but the crucial ingredient in this tempting
Fox Flesh
The self-styled ‘Professor of Physick’ and prolific publisher of medical texts William Salmon (1644-1713) was described by some as the ‘King of the Quacks’.1 While I’m sure he did not see himself in that light he was an empiric, a man who gained his medical knowledge through experience. One of
By Frostbite, Slips and Sprains
We’re all feeling chilly as Christmas approaches and seeing the almost daily headlines in the national press of about an impending BIG FREEZE. It’s timely then to think about how our early modern ancestors experienced the Christmas and winter season. For Londoners winter brought a change in the physical environment
Menopause before Menopause
Today (18th October) is World Menopause Day, So we thought we’d have a look at women’s experiences in the past. Menopause was not a word that had any currency in the period covered by this blog. In fact, the word was not seen in print until 1858 and then was