Articles

Our words and pictures explore the connections between science, medicine, life and art. Dive into one no matter where in the world you are.

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Web comic by Rob Bidder (detail)
  • Comic

Unskilled

Do you have a mind job or a body job?

Part of Body Squabbles

A photographic diptych. The image on the left shows an adult wearing a furry yellow Honey Monster costume, including a red tracksuit top and blue tracksuit bottoms standing in a residential road with red brick houses beyond. The Honey Monster is holding a large black and white dog facing away from camera. The image on the right shows a section of the ground floor of a red brick house with a white PVC door and window with net curtains. On the brick wall surrounding the window there is a large chalk drawing of a stick person with Covid-19 written above it. Beneath the window is written ‘stay home’.
  • Photo story

Portraits, from a distance

Join photographer Michelle Sank on her daily walk around Exeter. Strength, frustration, resilience and eccentricity all show in these candid images portraying life under the constraints of coronavirus lockdown.

A photograph showing part of a medieval book on the left had-side of the image featuring Latin text and a figure of a man wearing a cape, tunic and a feathered hat. He is holding a dog on a lead, and the illustration is coloured green, brown and yellow. On the right-hand side of the image is a medallion with The Guide Dogs For The Blind Association engraved around the outside, and an alsation dog’s head engraved in the middle. The medallion is sitting in a royal blue box lined with blue velvet. The inside of the lid is lined with a cream coloured material on which the black outline of a guide dog and guide dog handler is stitched. The items appear on a plain brown background.
  • Article

Guide dogs or good dogs from the Middle Ages

Medieval illustrations often show blind people, sometimes with dogs. But working out whether these were actually guide dogs involves a mix of detailed detective work and expert speculation.

Photograph of a watercolour depicting the death of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon is lying in bed surrounded by 12 people, some wearing military uniform. Three of these people are young children. One of the people stands at Napoleon's head, his hand resting on napoleon's shoulder. The bed is in a large room, with green patterned carpet and yellow wallpaper. A chandelier hangs from the high ceiling. The watercolour has been photographed against a grey concrete background.
  • In pictures

Mass murder and marvellous medicine

Find out how arsenic has been used for good and ill, to cure and kill, for centuries.

Part of Inside Our Collections

Webcomic by Rob Bidder (detail)
  • Comic

Fine

Are you really fine?

Part of Body Squabbles

Photograph of an open laptop within a domestic scene. Most of the image is taken up with the screen, with part of the keyboard and trackpad visible. On the screen is a video call showing a woman standing in her living room, holding a cat in her arms, both are looking to camera. In the bottom right corner of the screen the photographer can be seen in a small floating window, camera to her eye, in the process of taking the picture.
  • Article

Why “crazy cat ladies” are healthier than you may think

Writer Erica Crompton ponders the reasons behind the misogynist “crazy cat lady” trope, and reclaims cat ownership as a positive way to help restore mental equilibrium.

Photograph showing a brightly coloured abstract ceramic mosaic of a cat, in the style of Louis Wain. The mosaic is hung on the red brick wall of the outside of a property. Below the mosaic is the pavement and elements of street furniture. To either side are parts of window and an information plaque.
  • Article

Louis Wain’s cryptic cats

Once famous for his quirky cat illustrations, today Louis Wain is often portrayed as a ‘psychotic’ artist whose illness can be mapped out through his drawings. Here Bryony Benge-Abbott takes a more rounded view.

Flowers comic by Rob Bidder (detail)
  • Comic

Flowers

Find joy in all the yawning, stretching, arching, flirting flowers around you.

Part of Body Squabbles

Artwork made up of a black and white photograph of a female figure from behind, from the waist up, against a black background. She is bent over to the right in a dancerly pose. Her arms are held out to either side, her fingers are curled in a graceful fashion. Embroidered into the photographic print with muted yellow and grey coloured thread is a crisscross floral pattern which exactly covers her head and hair. Directed into her back from the top of the image is a copper coloured shard painted in metallic paint. Under her left arm is a circular shape made up of copper coloured textured paint. Above her right hand is a large circular shape with holes in the centre, made up of a layer of textured grey dots.
  • Article

Being trans in the world of sex work

Unstable. Predatory. Risk takers. Dr Adrienne Macartney sheds stark light on the hostile and negative assumptions faced by trans sex workers.

Part of Reframing sex work

Artwork made up of a black and white photograph of a female figure from behind, from the waist up, against a black background. Her arms are held out straight to either side, her fingers are outstretched. Embroidered into the photographic print with yellow and orange coloured thread is a crisscross floral pattern which exactly covers her head and hair. Across her back, in a copper coloured textured paint is a large triangle. In front of the figure is a large rectangular frame made up of a layered texture of grey dots which forms a doorway. Either side of the figure are long copper coloured shards made in metallic paint which seem to be reaching out to tether her arms.
  • Article

Surviving sex work on the streets

In care at four, on the streets at nine, Charmaine has had a traumatic journey to reach life as it is now: no drugs, no sex work, looking after her mum, and enjoying her grandchildren. Here she writes honestly about her past.

Part of Reframing sex work

Artwork made up of a black and white photograph of a female figure from behind, from the waist up, against a black background. Her body is twisted in a dancerly pose, her arms are held out to either side. Her left arm is bent up above her head, hand outstretched. Her right arm is bent down to the ground, hand outstretched. Embroidered into the photographic print with yellow, white and grey coloured thread is a crisscross floral pattern which exactly covers her head and hair. Floating above her left hand is a circular shape made up of copper coloured small dots which are painted onto the print creating a three dimensional texture. To the right and below her right hand is another large circular shape made up of a layered texture of grey dots which are painted onto the print creating a three dimensional texture.
  • Article

Sex work and critical campaigners

When campaigners filmed secretly in the club where she worked, exotic dancer Ella Smith felt frightened and degraded. Here she speaks out about the attack on her livelihood.

Part of Reframing sex work

Artwork made up of a black and white photograph of a female figure from behind, from the waist up, against a black background. Her arms are held out straight to either side, her wrists and hands held up indicating a stop action. Embroidered into the photographic print with yellow and orange coloured thread is a crisscross floral pattern which exactly covers her head and hair. Across her back, embroidered in a copper coloured thread is a large thin vertical rectangle. Surrounding the figure is a large ellipse made up of a layered texture of dots which forms a protective barrier against sharp tooth like forms approaching the barrier, also made up of layered textured dots.
  • Article

Selling sex and sacrificing safety

Sex workers who report crimes against them can face a “what do you expect?” attitude. But one organisation is working to protect vulnerable people in the sex industry.

Part of Reframing sex work

Artwork made up of a black and white photograph of a female figure from behind, from the waist up, against a black background. Her arms are held above her head and her wrists cross, fingers extended. Embroidered into the photographic print with grey thread is a crisscross floral pattern which exactly covers her head and hair. Across her back, embroidered in silver thread is a large triangle connected to a smaller triangle. Either side of the figure are two large curved forms made up of a layered texture of dots.
  • Article

Sex work, stigma and whorephobia

Like everyone, sex workers sometimes need medical or mental health support. But shame and stigma seriously affect attitudes and access.

Part of Reframing sex work

Watercolour and ink drawing of a sad candle with a face resting on its hand.
  • Comic

Mood

What is your mood at the moment?

Part of Body Squabbles

Illustration of a female figure on the left hand side who is rising up out of a larger crowd of people. She is holding a loudhailer to her mouth and speaking. The crowd are raising their hands in support, some hold placards. In front of the crowd are two over-scale broadcast microphones being held by 4 individuals pushing them slightly towards the crowd. The hues of the illustration are muted reds, blues and whites.
  • Serial
Part6

Fighting shame by speaking out

Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s first instinct after being raped was to cover it up. Shame silenced her for ten years, but #MeToo gave her the courage to speak out.

Part of We need to talk about shame

Photograph of a woman sat in an office environment. She is holding a landline telephone receiver to her left ear and is looking into the distance over the top of the camera.
  • Article

Befriending heavy breathers

Read the fascinating story behind the rare manual that helped volunteers on one of Britain’s first free telephone helplines to deal with masturbating callers.

Part of Inside Our Collections

Photograph of a gouache drawing showing a man carrying Holy water with his wife. They are walking across a yellow sand and palm trees and forest can be seen in the distance. The man has a staff resting on his shoulders. Attached to either end are containers of water. His wife walks beside him. Under the drawing are the words, 'Carrying Holy Water'.
  • In pictures

Water of life?

From ancient sources of spiritual sustenance to the modern spa, Ross MacFarlane traces a brief history of healing waters.

Part of Inside Our Collections

Call comic by Rob Bidder (detail)
  • Comic

Call

Do you know who'd turn up on a conference call with all your other selves?

Part of Body Squabbles

Illustration of a full length female figure on the right hand side who is bracing herself against a raft of large 'thumbs down' computer internet graphics which are all bearing down on her. In amongst the 'thumbs down' are small computer dialogue boxes and loading progress bars. The hues of the illustration are muted reds, blues and whites.
  • Serial
Part5

Shame and the online free-for-all

Lucia Osborne-Crowley looks at how shame manifests online, where public humiliation is common and second chances all too rare.

Part of We need to talk about shame

Photograph of the front of a house showing the front door, front window and some of the garden. A man stands in the open front doorway. A few steps down from him stands a woman in a nurses uniform wearing blue latex gloves and a blue face mask.
  • Book extract

How to stay together while keeping apart

Vivek Murthy explores how we can keep physically distant while staying emotionally connected.

Part of Inside Our Books