(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: remedies
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??
Hair loss, ancient remedies and the power of colour
On writing for one of my favourite blogs... and finding a remedy in my family's papers!
I can forgive Gwyneth for the jade eggs and mugwort, but not for this rubbish about Hippocrates…
Like many people, I find the claims of Gwyneth Paltrow's 'modern lifestyle brand' Goop pretty irritating. I was sufficiently cross about the claims for the benefits of vagina steaming that I wrote something for The Conversation about it. And I loved Dr Jen Gunter's blog post about jade eggs and in particular the way Gunter gently… Continue reading I can forgive Gwyneth for the jade eggs and mugwort, but not for this rubbish about Hippocrates…
Mistaking histories 