Category Archives: Medicine

Autopsies, or post-mortems as they are known in Scotland, are generally carried out to establish the cause of death if someone has died in unexplained or suspicious circumstances. Sometimes it is fairly obvious, owing to evidence of injuries or signs of disease. However, sometimes a little extra help is needed, and animals can provide clues […]

Derived from the seeds of the poppy plant, opiates can take many forms. They are still used today for pain relief, and can be found in forms like morphine and codeine. In high concentrations, the substance becomes drugs like heroin, and, most obviously, opium. Though the widespread opium consumption during the nineteenth century has often […]

Most of us are warned as children not to eat things we don’t recognise. But what if you think you do recognise it? Sometimes things are not as they appear, and many plants which are either edible or otherwise harmless bear an uncanny resemblance to much more deadly specimens. Daffodils Although daffodils may not strike […]

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, which are commonly used as a diagnostic tool in clinical medicine. They were first discovered in 1895 by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, and it was immediately recognised that X-rays could be used in medicine. As well as providing clear images of broken bones, X-rays can also be used […]

During the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a huge demand for cadavers for medical schools. Scotland in particular became an epicentre for medical learning and research. However, there was a limited supply of cadavers available, as people were generally revolted by the idea of dissection. Additionally, the Murder Act of 1751 stipulated that those […]

Tapeworms are a parasitic organism which lives in the digestive system of their host. Humans have been aware of them since at least 384 b.c, where it was described by Greek philosopher Aristotle. There are several different species, and infection usually happens when a person eats undercooked beef, pork or fish. Fortunately, modern medicines can […]

People have always been fascinated by the bizarre and macabre. During the nineteenth century, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris was not a famous monument or an art gallery, but the city morgue. At its peak between 1830 and 1864, it boasted of around 40,000 visitors a day as people flocked to […]

Pica is a psychological disorder that causes a strong desire to consume non-food items, such as dirt, glass, or hair. The phenomenon was first described by Hippocrates, and is usually found most often in children, though they usually grow out of it. Occasionally, adults are also diagnosed with the disorder, though genuine cases can be […]

Following both the First and Second World Wars, children came to be viewed as ‘citizens of the future’, and there was an increasing concern for their health, welfare and education. Following the formation of the NHS in 1948, many children were regularly seeing doctors for the first time, and this increased the rate at which […]

During the early nineteenth century there was a huge interest in physical anomalies in both humans and animals, both from a scientific point of view as well as a more voyeuristic fascination from the general public. There was a huge demand for taxidermied and preserved specimens of deformed animals, and many such examples were showcased […]