Medieval True Crime: When a Corpse Solved Its Own Murder
In 1503, in the quiet Swiss village of Ettiswil, a woman’s corpse was laid out in the churchyard. Her name was Margaretha, and she had died suddenly; too suddenly, some whispered. Her husband, Hans Spiess, had fled the town, but he was eventually tracked down and brought back to face justice. Justice, however, didn’t mean what we might expect. Spiess
The Censored Witches' Flying Potion (That Promised a "Lover")
"Rub this on your skin, get a lover." That’s not clickbait. It’s a sixteenth-century recipe, written in all seriousness by the Italian natural philosopher Giambattista Della Porta. He recorded the formula for an ointment, said to be used by witches. The claim was that it could induce an extraordinary phenomenon: it would make the witch believe she was flying and
Fake Virginity: The Painful Renaissance ‘Cures’ They Sold Women
So, of course, someone offered a solution. A 17th-century English translation of an Italian book called Magia Naturalis puts it like this: In case that wasn’t clear: the
How Water Cures Revolutionised Medicine in the 16th Century
This was written by one of my favourite historical characters, the ever-charming surgeon often accused of being a charlatan, Leonardo Fioravanti. But hold on, because here's another juicy 16th-century quote: Hmmm… Intriguing, right? This was actually a popular proverb that writer Michel de Montaigne heard from locals while travelling through Italy. So, what exactly was going on in these baths?
How Latin America Shaped Germ Theory (But History Overlooked It)
Imagine this: It's 1910, and you're strolling through an international medical conference in Europe. The legacies of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch are being celebrated for discovering that tiny microbes—not "bad air"—cause diseases. Revolutionary! Groundbreaking! The audience applauds these European geniuses who saved humanity! And then, from the back of the room, a Brazilian doctor stands up: "Excuse me, but
Hypocras: The Medieval Wine Doctors Prescribed as Medicine
What if I told you one of the most popular medicines in medieval Europe was also the trendiest party drink? Hypocras (or 'hypocras' if you stick to the French pronunciation) was a spiced and sweetened wine so prestigious that kings gifted it to each other; it was believed to be so medically effective that doctors prescribed it, and so delicious
How Urine Revealed Fertility in Renaissance Medicine
If a couple can't have children and you want to know whose 'fault' it is, what do you do? Well, if we're talking about Renaissance Italy, you might give this experiment a try. This recipe is from a 1529 book called Dificio di ricette, or 'House of Recipes' and I came across it recently when I was preparing a talk.
Birth Trays in Renaissance Italy and Motherhood
What if a seemingly ordinary wooden tray could tell the story of a society's rebirth after one of the deadliest epidemics in history? "In the year of our Lord 1348, there happened at Florence, the finest city in all Italy, a most terrible plague…" So starts Boccaccio's Decameron, one of the most celebrated texts in medieval literature. The Decameron tells us much about the
Dracula: Blood Transfusions and Control Over Women
'She wants blood, and blood she must have or die' – this is one of my favourite passages from Bram Stoker's 1897 masterpiece, Dracula. (And there are several!) So, let's set the scene. After a series of sleepwalking episodes, Lucy, one of the main characters in the novel, is left mysteriously exsanguinated: she's
17th Century "Intuitive Eating": Paracelsus and Digestion
What should you eat to be healthy? Well, the answer varies according to time and place, as we know from social media influencers who seem to constantly change their minds about what we 'should' or shouldn't eat'. But who should decide what is healthy in the first place? According to some, only you can know what works for you and
What were the "Non-Naturals"?
When I was growing up, my grandmother told me to avoid cold showers if I was having my period. I was also not supposed to leave the house with my hair wet unless it was summer. When we travelled to the mountains, my other grandmother would ‘fill her lungs with forest air’. She claimed to feel instantly healthier. I'm sure
Alchemy in the Renaissance: The Mysterious Isabella Cortese
How do you become an alchemist? This is what a 16th-century book suggests: This advice is said to come from a woman; it's from The Secrets of the Lady Isabella Cortese, published in Venice in 1561. But what does this book, and the mysterious writer to whom it is attributed, tell us about women, science, alchemy, authorship, authority and expertise
Eaglestones: Historical Amulets for Childbirth
Just like we might do today, throughout history, women have talked to each other about it, developed their rituals surrounding it, they have asked midwives and doctors questions, and they have prayed for protection.
Caterina Sforza: The Alchemy and Power of a Renaissance Icon
Imagine you are the ruler of an Italian city in the Renaissance; your husband has been murdered and your children were taken hostage by your political enemies, who hope to take control of your fortress. Yet the people inside are still loyal to you and are not surrendering. So, leaving your children with your enemies, you go inside the castle,
Green Sickness: A Historical Look at the 'Disease of Virgins'
Imagine that it's 1554, and you're the father of a young girl who is unwell. You write to a friend of yours, who is a physician, describing her symptoms, which include her being 'pale, as if bloodless'. And this is the reply you get: The doctor continues, writing that the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates suggests that So… the solution for
Golden Locks: Hair Care in the Renaissance Era
Imagine you're living in Renaissance Florence and you notice you're losing your hair; maybe you're a man who's growing bald, or maybe you're a woman who's just given birth. What could you do to treat hair loss? Well, you could use a recipe like this: Yes, people really did use animal excrements in cosmetic and medical recipes – much more
Paracelsus: The Rebellious Doctor Who Defied Tradition
I recently found myself going down the rabbit hole of Japanese manga and anime fandom online. Now, this is something I know nothing about. I've never really been into anime or manga, but I was fascinated to learn about Van Hohenheim or 'Hohenheim of Light', a character who is a powerful alchemist in the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, clearly inspired
Fioravanti: Pioneering Surgeon-Alchemist of the Renaissance
Leonardo Fioravanti was called a Charlatan, a Poisoner, a Reformer, a Knight, a Prophet, a Miracle-Worker, a Saviour, an Alchemist, and a Fraud.
The Medicine behind food – from starters to desserts
Think of a traditional European meal. First, you'd have starters, maybe a soup, then your main dish, usually something with meat, then you might have dessert, or cheese – or even both! And, depending on what you're eating, you might be advised to pair it with different wines, or ale. Of course, how people eat varies widely across time and
The Medicine Behind the Nativity Gifts: Frankincense and Myrrh Revisited
One December, when I was around 5 years old, a nun at the Catholic school I went to in Brazil told us about the birth of Jesus. I wasn't particularly interested in the star who showed the wise men the way, but I was very intrigued by their choice of gifts for a baby. Why would they give him gold,
Little Red Riding Hood and the Invisibility of Older Women
How old was Little Red Riding Hood? In the earliest, 16th-century versions of the tale, she was around the age of puberty. Other details you might not know include the wolf making the girl eat her grandmother's flesh (including her sexual organs and breasts) and drinking the old woman's blood from a bowl before the wolf attempts to ravish the girl.
The 'Queen of Hysterics' and 19th-Century Theatrical Hysteria
Everybody was talking about hysteria in late 19th-century Paris. Hysterics appeared in novels and plays; they were painted, photographed, sculpted and drawn. People crowded the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris to attend demonstrations and lectures on hysterics given by the world-renowned neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893), and to gaze at his star patients. Who could resist admiring the ‘queen of hysterics’, the beautiful Blanche Wittmann (1859-1913), her face relaxed and insensible as she was pierced with needles by doctors, to demonstrate how she couldn’t feel any pain?
What is the 'Doctrine of Signatures'?
In the early modern period, an impotent man might be prescribed boiled orchid roots. But why? Well, they resembled testicles and were consequentially believed to be useful in improving male potency. If you think this sounds weird, stay with me. Efficacy aside, prescribing this remedy makes sense… if you accept the premise of the doctrine of signatures, one of the
A Grip on the History of Forceps in Medicine
On a cold winter evening in 1600, Peter Chamberlen the Younger found himself attending to a labouring woman on the outskirts of London. The mother-to-be had been in labour for over 48 hours, and the situation was dire. Despite his wealth of experience, Peter feared that both the mother and child might be lost.
What is the ‘Wandering Womb’?
Imagine ‘an animal inside an animal’, a thirsty creature, dragging itself in search of water, pushing aside everything that was on its way… Do you think that sounds sinister? So do I.
Motherhood and Wet Nurses: Breastfeeding in Early Modern Times
If you were living in early modern England (say in the 17th century), there were so many things to consider after you had a baby. But one of the main decisions had to do with breastfeeding: should the mother feed the child herself, or should a wet nurse be hired? (A wet nurse was someone whose job was to care for and breastfeed the baby.)
Why Did People Try to Induce Menstruation in the Past?
Imagine that you’re a 16th-century person flicking through the pages of Alessio Piemontese’s best-selling book, which contained everything from how to make invisible ink to how to make strawberries preserve. And then you come across this most interesting ‘secret’:
‘Unnatural Mothers’: The Surprising History of Abandoned Children
When I was around four years old, I was terrified of the tale of Hansel and Gretel. How could a mother just abandon her children in the woods, even if the family had nothing to eat? Somehow that seemed even worse than the fact that a grandmotherly figure would trap those same children and try to eat them.
What are the ‘Non-Naturals’?
When I was growing up, I was told to avoid cold showers if I was having my period. I was also not supposed to leave the house with my hair wet unless it was summer. When we travelled to the mountains, my maternal grandmother would ‘fill her lungs with forest air’. She claimed to feel instantly healthier.
Giving Birth in 17th-century England: A Tentative List
What to do, what to buy, what to organise, what to cook, what to read… I made so many lists when I was pregnant that it would take a new list to organise them all! Expectant parents are bombarded today with information about how to prepare for the arrival of a baby. Yet childbirth itself has never been more medicalised and arguably out of families’ control. But what about the past, before social media, Amazon wish lists, and insipid hospital food? Here’s a list of how to prepare for a new baby in 17th-century England.
Green Sickness and Virginity
From the mid-16th century to the early 20th century, young girls described as suffering from bodily weakness, dietary disorders, heart palpitations, fainting spells, paleness, and an absence of menstruation (amenorrhoea), were often given the diagnosis of ‘green sickness’, the ‘disease of virgins’.
What is the Humoral Theory?
Humours are everywhere. People can react cholerically to an insult, music can make us melancholic, time with friends can lift our spirits, and we can be in good or bad humour. This is not surprising. The humoral theory has a long history, beginning with the Greek Hippocratic writers in the fifth century BC, being reinterpreted by the Roman physician Galen in the second century AD.
Medieval True Crime: When a Corpse Solved Its Own Murder
The Censored Witches' Flying Potion (That Promised a "Lover")
Fake Virginity: The Painful Renaissance ‘Cures’ They Sold Women
How Water Cures Revolutionised Medicine in the 16th Century
How Latin America Shaped Germ Theory (But History Overlooked It)
Hypocras: The Medieval Wine Doctors Prescribed as Medicine
How Urine Revealed Fertility in Renaissance Medicine
Birth Trays in Renaissance Italy and Motherhood
Dracula: Blood Transfusions and Control Over Women
17th Century "Intuitive Eating": Paracelsus and Digestion
What were the "Non-Naturals"?
Alchemy in the Renaissance: The Mysterious Isabella Cortese
Eaglestones: Historical Amulets for Childbirth
Caterina Sforza: The Alchemy and Power of a Renaissance Icon
Green Sickness: A Historical Look at the 'Disease of Virgins'
Golden Locks: Hair Care in the Renaissance Era
Paracelsus: The Rebellious Doctor Who Defied Tradition
Fioravanti: Pioneering Surgeon-Alchemist of the Renaissance
The Medicine behind food – from starters to desserts
The Medicine Behind the Nativity Gifts: Frankincense and Myrrh Revisited
Little Red Riding Hood and the Invisibility of Older Women
The 'Queen of Hysterics' and 19th-Century Theatrical Hysteria
What is the 'Doctrine of Signatures'?
A Grip on the History of Forceps in Medicine
What is the ‘Wandering Womb’?
Motherhood and Wet Nurses: Breastfeeding in Early Modern Times
Why Did People Try to Induce Menstruation in the Past?
‘Unnatural Mothers’: The Surprising History of Abandoned Children
What are the ‘Non-Naturals’?
Giving Birth in 17th-century England: A Tentative List
Green Sickness and Virginity