Rosalind Franklin’s Methods of Discovery
Franklin’s strategy for analyzing images of DNA molecules forces us to reconsider our definition of “scientific discovery,” argues Michelle G. Gibbons.
What’s a Mental Health Diagnosis For?
Following the publication of the DSM-5, mental health professionals debated the expansion of “mental illness” to include normal parts of the human condition.
Haunted Soldiers in Mesopotamia
In ancient Mesopotamia, many medical disorders were attributed to ghosts, including mental problems faced by men who had spent years at war.
Arakawa and Gins: An Eternal Architecture
With the Reversible Destiny Foundation, architect-philosophers Arakawa and Gins created disquieting designs meant to defeat mortality.
Why Not Just Be a Nurse?
To be taken seriously as physicians, women doctors in nineteenth-century Britain felt the need to distinguish themselves from others of their gender.
The International History of “Indigenous” Malay Healers
The origins of Malay and Indonesian dukun healers are intertwined with the history of Persian involvement in the region.
Civilization Without Horses: The Epizootic of 1872
We’re all now too familiar with the words “pandemic” and “epidemic,” but how about “epizootic”?
Half Past Dementia
Drawing a clock has become a standard test of cognitive impairment, but there’s no consensus on who should do it or how.
The Price of Plenty: Should Food Be Cheap?
The supermarket revolution made food more affordable and accessible than ever. But do the hidden costs of food feed into our illusions of justice and progress?
The Sanitary Commission’s Other Agenda
The US Sanitary Commission is credited with saving lives during the Civil War, but its leadership hoped it would be remembered for advancing racialized science.