Salmonella: The Good, the Bad, the Unexpected
A recent salmonella outbreak, connected with pre-cut melon, has put the bacteria back in the news. Is there any bright side to salmonella?
Was Lydia E. Pinkham the Queen of Quackery?
She developed an immensely popular, if questionably effective, herbal remedy for “female complaints.” Pioneer in alternative medicine or...?
Medical Leeches Are Back (Yes, You Read That Right)
Leeches are especially helpful when veins are damaged and unable to properly drain blood from extremities, for example, in recently reattached amputations.
The False Promises of Wellness Culture
Wellness is everywhere today: juice cleanses, Soulcycle classes, self-care. The roots of the trend can be found in nineteenth-century health-consciousness.
Risqué and Radical: Benzion Liber’s X-Rated Yiddish Sex Guide
In 1915, Dr. Benzion Liber published a book that described good sex, pregnancy, childbirth, masturbation, sex education, and venereal diseases…in Yiddish.
Child’s Play
Play is an important part of child development; Paul Tough tells us about strategies to encourage healthy child development.
From Home Births to Maternity Wards and Back Again
Once hospital deliveries became mainstream, mothers have had to make a choice: a home birth or go to the hospital?