Wellcome uses cookies.

Read our policy
Wellcome Collection homepage
All
Stories
Images
Catalogue
Events
7,026 results
  • St. Thomas' Hospital, London, England: exterior view showing scaffolding on the building and the River Thames in the foreground. Photograph by H. Windsley, 1972.
  • Royal College of Surgeons, circa 1813. Compare with Sir Zachary Cope, the History of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, London 1959, figure 58.
  • Preliminary programme : 3rd International Congress of Dietetics... : 1961, London, England, July 10-14 / organized by the International Committee of Dieticians and the British Dietetic Association.
  • Preliminary programme : 3rd International Congress of Dietetics... : 1961, London, England, July 10-14 / organized by the International Committee of Dieticians and the British Dietetic Association.
  • Preliminary programme : 3rd International Congress of Dietetics... : 1961, London, England, July 10-14 / organized by the International Committee of Dieticians and the British Dietetic Association.
  • Preliminary programme : 3rd International Congress of Dietetics... : 1961, London, England, July 10-14 / organized by the International Committee of Dieticians and the British Dietetic Association.
  • [Leaflet (1880?) advertising appearances by The Lilliputian Monarchs: the Australian General Tom Thumb and Commodore Knott at the Horns Assembly Rooms (Kennington, London, England). Printed on orange/yellow paper].
  • [Leaflet (1880?) advertising appearances by The Lilliputian Monarchs: the Australian General Tom Thumb and Commodore Knott at the Horns Assembly Rooms (Kennington, London, England). Printed on orange/yellow paper].
  • St Christopher's Church, the Bank of England, and St Bartholomew the Great, London: the western entrance, with a woman walking through. Engraving by J. Jackson after J. W. Archer.
  • [Leaflet (1880?) advertising appearances by The Lilliputian Monarchs: the Australian General Tom Thumb and Commodore Knott at the Horns Assembly Rooms (Kennington, London, England). Printed on pale green paper].
  • [Undated handbill (about 1874?) for Crecraft's Exhibition at the Agricultural Hall (London, England) featuring "Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Dodd, the smallest people living, the king and queen of the Lilliputians"].
  • [Handbill (20 December 1886) for a variety show at the Canterbury Theatre of Varieties (Westminster Bridge Road, London, England) featuring the 8 foot tall Belgian giant Alfredo Devartos as well as Testo (strong man) and Onri].
  • A general list of the members of the Royal College of Surgeons in England : members who reside and practise, or who have resided and practised, in or within seven miles of the City of London ... members who do not reside or practise, in or within seven miles of the City of London.
  • Boniface : there have been several "living skeletons" exhibited in England from time to time. The most famous, as the first of the kind, was Claude Seurat, a Frenchman, who was shown in London during the summer of the year 1825.
  • Boxing night and until further notice : special engagement of Herr Joseph Drasal, the Tyrolese Giant, aged 32 years, the tallest man in the world, measuring eight feet four inches also Colonel D. Ulpts, the Tyrolese Midget, aged 22 years, measuring 34 inches high. First appearance in England / South London Palace, London Road, near the Elephant & Castle ... under the sole management of Mr. H. Ulph, Jun.
  • Hyacinthoides non-scripta (L.) Chouard ex Rothm. Asparagaceae Bluebell. Perennial bulbous plant. Distribution W. Europe to N. Portugal. Seed and plants from wild stock are protected in England and Wales and all trade in them is prohibited, despite their abundance. All parts of the plant are poisonous and the sap can cause dermatitis. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Lobelia cardinalis L Campanulaceae Cardinal lobelia Distribution: Americas, Colombia to south-eastern Canada. The genus was named after Matthias de L’Obel or Lobel, (1538–1616), Flemish botanist and physician to James I of England, author of the great herbal Plantarum seu Stirpium Historia (1576). Lobeline, a chemical from the plant has nicotine like actions and for a while lobeline was used to help people withdraw from smoking, but was found to be ineffective. It was introduced from Virginia to John Parkinson in England by John Newton (1580-1647) a surgeon of Colyton (aka Colliton), Devon, who travelled to Virginia. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Camellia sasanqua Thunb. Theaceae. Christmas camellia. Camellia commemorates Georg Josef Kamel (1661-1706), Jesuit pharmacist from Moravia (Czech Republic) who worked in the Philippines and sent plants to John Ray in England (Oakeley, 2012) Evergreen shrub. Distribution: Japan and China. Leaves are used in Japan to make tea (normally made from C. sinensis) and the seeds to make the edible tea seed oil. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Lobelia tupa L Campanulaceae Tabaco del Diablo [Devil's tobacco]. Distribution: Central Chile. Dried leaves are smoked as a hallucinogen by the Mapuchu Indians of Chile. It was also used as a respiratory stimulant. The genus was named after Matthias de L’Obel or Lobel, (1538–1616), Flemish botanist and physician to James I of England, author of the great herbal Plantarum seu Stirpium Historia (1576). Lobeline, a chemical from the plant has nicotine like actions and for a while lobeline was used to help people withdraw from smoking, but was found to be ineffective. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • We, the court of examiners, chosen and appointed by the master, wardens and assistants of the Society of the Art and Mystery of Apothecaries of the City of London in pursuance of a certain Act of Parliament passed in the 55th year of the reign of his majesty King George the third entitled an Act for the better regulating the practice of apothecaries throughout England and Wales, do hereby by virtue of the power & authority invested by the said Act certify that ... has been by us carefully and deliberately examined as to his skills & abilities in the science & practice of medicine ... duly qualified as an apothecary.
  • Myrtus communis L. Myrtaceae Myrtle Distribution: Europe. Dioscorides (Beck, 2005) recommends the fruit for treating haemoptysis (‘spitting blood’) and cystitis, and, if boiled, he said it made a fine wine. In various forms it was used as a hair dye, for sore eyes, anal and uterine prolapse, dandruff and shingles, all sorts of inflammations, scorpion bites and even sweaty armpits. Our plant has white berries, but he regarded those with black berries (they become black later in the season) as being more effective. Lyte (1576) adds that the juice of the berries kept the hair black and stopped it falling out, and prevented intoxication. He notes that it only flowered in hot summers in England, but it is reliable in flower now, either due to global warming or selection of suitable clones. According to Lyte, it is named after Merlyne, a fair maiden of Athens in ancient Greece, who judged the athletic games. Slain by a disgruntled competitor, the goddess Minerva brought her back as the myrtle tree in perpetual memory. The myrtle tree is also an ancient Jewish symbol for peace and justice. Myrtle wine is still made in Tuscany and now even in China. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Capsicum annuum 'Masquerade' Distribution: Central and South America. This ‘domesticated species’ originated from Mexico (although the centre of Capsicum evolution was much earlier and from Bolivia) and includes the bland salad peppers and the hot chilli peppers, of which capsaicin (sometimes called capsicain), from the lining of the inside of the chilli, is the main active ingredient. Chilli comes from the Aztec language of the Nahuatl people. It was reputedly introduced to Europe by Columbus in the mid-15th century, but was cultivated in Mexico since 4,000 BCE and used in cooking since 7,200 BCE. After its introduction to Europe, its cultivation very rapidly became world-wide. It appears first as a description (Bock, 1539) with the name teutschem Pfeffer. The first illustration, as Siliquastrum, appears in Historia Stirpes commentarii insignis (Fuchs, 1542). Fuchs did not realise it came from the Americas, as he identified it as a plant described by Pliny, Dioscorides and Avicenna and gave their uses of it. It appear in Dodoen's Cruydeboeck (1551) and Lyte's translation (1557) with the note that it is 'hot and drie in the third degree.' He recommended it for dressing meat, and noted that it 'warmeth the stomach' and was good for a sore throat, scrofula, and topically got rid of spots. Fuch's had reported these properties as being described by Avicenna, but what that plant was is unknown. Lindley (1838) wrote: 'It is employed in medicine, in combination with Cinchona in intermittent and lethargic affections, and also in atonic gout, dyspepsia accompanied by flatulence, tympanitis, paralysis etc. Its most valuable application appears however to be in cynanche maligna [=severe sore throat, with impending suffocation] and scarlatina maligna [=severe scarlet fever], used either as a gargle or administered internally.' However, its principal use medically has been in pain relief, applied locally for pain from muscle injury to post herpetic neuralgia. Capsaicin acts on the pain and heat sensing neurones to make them trigger the sensation of pain at body temperature. Repeated exposure to capsaicin depletes the neurotransmitter substance P that is used to perceive pain, so the relevant nerves no longer transmit the sensation of pain/heat from any cause. It is a banned substance in the equestrian events at the Olympics because of its ability to stop perception of pain. Capsaicin has been shown, experimentally, to kill cancer cells by attacking their mitochondria. Particular interest has concentrated on its ability to reduce the size of tumours of the pancreas and prostate. Various cultivars are used in cooking, and the strength (i.e. how hot they are) is measured in Scoville units. A standard chilli pepper used in England would be around 5,000 Scovilles, the hottest peppers are rated over one million Scoville units. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Surrey Rotunda (Sir Ashton Lever's Museum &c.) 1784-1858.
  • Mr. G. H. MacDermott's ninth annual benefit, Tuesday, Sept. 19th, 1882 : An entirely new and original burlesque sketch, written by Arthur Lloyd, entitled Maid Maryann or all a-growing & a-blowing ... / London Pavilion, Tichborne Street, Haymarket, W.