In _Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan_, the famous first lieutenant Spock airily quips to Dr. McCoy that “as a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create.” At the end of the film, the Vulcan sacrifices his life to prevent the destruction of the entire crew, because […]
Vaccinologist Maurice Hilleman and Helping the World Read More »
This barber’s pole may look like a quaint form of advertisement, reminiscent of a candy cane. However, it’s got a pretty sick story behind it.You probably know that medicine in the Middle Ages was not informed by the scientific method, and that hygiene, anatomy, and physiology weren’t understood. A good reason for cutting open a
The Barber Pole and Medieval Times Read More »
We are (I hope) appropriately dismissive at the ridiculous bogus discussions concerning the treatment of COVID-19 that have appeared in the media. Hydroxychloroquine, bleach, “Plandemic,” blah blah blah quackery. It’s a good thing to be appalled by those who tout cures which lack scientific merit. And so perhaps it would be well to have a
Dr. Albert Adams and His “Curative Machines” Read More »
Today we use the word “scurvy” as a general adjective for something that is corrosively destructive, like “religious bigotry was a scurvy of the Medieval Church.” Of course, these were the attributes of the OG disease, which blighted many people — but notably sailors — until a cure was found in the 1700s.Many of us
James Lind and Curing Scurvy in the 1700s Read More »
This disgusting, but hardly pornographic, illustration of a monk with open lesions on his penis is illustrative of the horrific pandemic of Syphilis that emerged in Europe in the late 15th century. Causing sores on genitalia in its first phase, the disease eventually results in ulcers, hair loss, and physical dismemberment among other things before
Epidemic of Syphilis in the 15th-Century Read More »
For centuries, Europeans’ #1 go-to treatment for the disease Syphilis was an administration of mercury. Physicians managed it via theraputic fumigation, through injections, and as topical creams – often in the form of mercurous chloride, called “sweet mercury” or “calomel”. As the 16th-century poem “Syphilis” notes: “All men concede that mercury’s the best/ Of agents that will
Medieval Syphilis Treatment (With Mercury) Read More »
What can anal fistula teach us about Medieval life? A great deal, tuns out.The first image you see here is a 15th-century illustration of one of the most important medical treatises of the Middle Ages, the “Practica of fistula in ano.” It is all about how to cure diseases of the colon and rectum, including
John of Arderne and Medieval Anal Fistulas Read More »
Yesterday I wrote about a certain physician, John of Arderne, who wrote an amazingly forward-thinking text about how to perform a surgery on anal fistula. Unique for his time in the 1300s, he emphasized the importance of hygiene and correct methods to prevent blood loss during the painful operation. Lest you think that anyone, even
The Zodiac Man and Medieval Surgery Read More »
Harry Potter fans might recognize this plant from a seveth-century Italian herbal: it is a mandrake, or in Latin, “mandragora.” So named because Ancient and Medieval Europeans thought the way that its root resembles a man (or a woman, see illustration three) was just so extra, the mandrake gained a reputation for producing effects far
The Mandrake Root in European History Read More »
Osteotome, anyone? You are looking at a reproduction of medical tools used in Ancient Roman surgery during the first century to cut into human bones. Many Ancient Roman medical instruments were made out of copper or copper alloys like brass (copper and zinc) or bronze (copper and tin). Educated physicians in Ancient Rome believed that
Ancient Roman Copper Medical Tools Read More »
Just how important is a single book? In the case of the one featured here, _De materia medica_, the answer is 1500 years: that’s how long this text dominated the genre of applied medical textbooks. The most important description of plants and their uses for over a millennia and a half, it wasn’t rediscovered in
Medicinally Used Plants in “De Materia Medica” Read More »
In these pandemic times, attention has justly been drawn to the critical role that hospitals and their staff have played in preventing social collapse by providing relief to millions of sufferers — those that manage to return to health, and those whose last days’ solace has been granted by weary health-care workers. We can thank
The Importance of Byzantine Xenon Hospitals Read More »
Today begins the Chinese New Year for 2021, when many rituals and celebrations welcome in the future in hopes that it will bring happiness, health, and prosperity. One of the traditions is shown in the image here: the drinking of a sort of wine called “Tusu.” Of course, it was specially important for the Emperor
Chinese New Year and Drinking “Tusu” Read More »
You’re looking at a 700+ year-old heart, recovered from a Medieval autopsy of Saint Clare of Montefalco, and considered a miraculous relic demonstrating Clare’s special relationship to God. Also did I mention that this is an actual heart?When super holy people — I mean “athletes for God” holy– died, Ancient and Medieval Christians thought they
Saint Clare’s Medieval Heart Read More »
My historical fields of interest lie in the distant past — but for me, it seems almost ancient history to realize that a year ago today on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization decreed that COVID-19 was indeed a pandemic, and the world changed utterly.That was before the deaths of nearly 530,000 Americans (so
Jason McLellan and his Research on SARS-COV2 Read More »
All pandemics are horrible, but no two are alike. Certainly this is true for those who have suffered from the bubonic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pestis.These poor victims pictures here died of the pandemic that raged across western Eurasia during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and after (from 541- the following
The Justinianic Plague Read More »
The myth of Prometheus is one of the oldest in Ancient Greek mythology. In the _Theogany_, dating from around 700 BCE, the author Hesiod tells the story of how the God Zeus took vengeance on his Titan rival for giving humans the knowledge of fire — he had Prometheus chained to a rock, and each
Ancient Greek Myth of Prometheus Read More »
My four-year old nephew has learned about swear words. Coaching her son about the importance of context, she tells him “words have power, don’t they?” (My sister is very smart).Some words, of course, have more combustibility than others, but readers here no doubt can agree that their power lies in the mind of the person
The Magical Meaning Behind Abracadabra Read More »
One of the most interesting secret societies are the Rosicrucians, an allegedly ancient sect of initiates endowed with wisdom so advanced that members have had to keep their knowledge and community hidden.But, they have a settlement in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — with actual pyramids! — and if it wasn’t on private property, I’d definitely go
The Ancient Secret Society of Rosicrucian Read More »
Why I had never heard of Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825-1875) before this week seems crazy to me: he is one of the most fascinating people in American history. So that you, dear readers, also cease to abide in similar ignorance, might I introduce this man?.Randolph was descended on his father’s side from the white Virginia
The Life of Paschal Beverly Randolph Read More »
