Mesmerizing Labor
The man who introduced mesmerism to the US was a slave-owner from Guadeloupe, where planters were experimenting with “magnetizing” their enslaved people.
Plant of the Month: Elderberry
The recent entrance of elderberry into mainstream success is marked by an increasing popular desire to engage with traditional, “natural” remedies.
Abortion Remedies from a Medieval Catholic Nun(!)
Hildegard von Bingen wrote medical texts describing how to prepare abortifacients.
The Bitter Truth About Bitters
A bottle of bitters from about 1918 had significant amounts of alcohol and lead—and not a trace of the supposed active ingredient.
How Archaeologists Use Parasites to Track Urbanization
Historical patterns of parasitic infection show up differently depending on the class status of a neighborhood.
Plant of the Month: Cinnamon
Of early modern medicinal monopolies and the nature of a "true" product of empire.
How Courageous Should Nurses Have to Be?
According to three scholars, it's asking a lot for health care professionals to be completely selfless.
Plant of the Month: Cascarilla
Epidemics revive old remedies and accelerate experimentation with new ones.
The Decapitation Experiments of Jean César Legallois
This French scientist conducted a series of gruesome experiments in his quest to discover the true limits of life and death.
COVID-19 Causes Some Patients’ Immune Systems to Attack Their Own Bodies
Severe infection is linked with autoantibody production.