(I was asked to make three short videos on the history of cancer, for the excellent liberal arts college, Gustavus Adolphus, where I spent a year. The theme of their annual Nobel Conference for 2020 was Cancer in the Age of Biotechnology. The videos are available here but if you prefer to read things, here… Continue reading The history of cancer: Part 3
Category: diseases
The history of cancer: Part 2
The story of Queen Atossa and her breast - and what it doesn't tell us.
The history of cancer: Part 1
Why do we want a disease to have a history?
Pliny on corns and bras
Pliny’s cure for corns was to look at the stars whilst oil was poured on the hinge of a door. Really??
Being a historian: when the personal is historical
On the theme of my favourite history blogs, as introduced here: another blog I enjoy very much is Nursing Clio. It took me a while to 'get' the title; I used to think it was a nursing history blog, but it's far more than that. The USP, among medical history blogs, is the point that… Continue reading Being a historian: when the personal is historical
Mistaking histories 