Wellcome uses cookies.

Read our policy
Wellcome Collection homepage
All
Stories
Images
Catalogue
Events
60 results
  • An armpit (with a growth ?). Photograph, ca. 1890.
  • An operation in progress: an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • An operation in progress: a metal clip in an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • An operation in progress: a metal surgical implement is placed inside an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • An operation in progress: a metal surgical implement is placed inside an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • A breast operation to remove a lump, in progress: scarring to the armpit following the operation. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • A Chinese man displaying symptoms of an axillary carbuncle on his armpit. Coloured line block print by Chiang Yee, after a Chinese artist, 1920/1940?.
  • A breast operation to remove a lump, in progress: an incision in the armpit which has been sewn up. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • The circulatory system: dissection of the upper arm, shoulder and armpit, with arteries and blood vessels indicated in red. Coloured lithograph by J. Maclise, 1841/1844.
  • A breast operation to remove a lump, in progress: a metal surgical implement is placed inside an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • A breast operation to remove a lump, in progress: an incision in the armpit; the breast is pinched between thumb and forefinger. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • The circulatory system: dissection of the upper arm, shoulder and armpit, with arteries, blood vessels and veins indicated in red and blue. Coloured lithograph by J. Maclise, 1841/1844.
  • A surgical operation to remove a malignant tumour from a man's left breast and armpit in a Dublin drawing room, 1817. Watercolour, ca 1913, after a watercolour, 1817.
  • A surgical operation to remove a malignant tumour from a man's left breast and armpit in a Dublin drawing room, 1817. Watercolour, ca 1913, after a watercolour, 1817.
  • A surgical operation to remove a malignant tumour from a man's left breast and armpit in a Dublin drawing room, 1817. Watercolour, ca 1913, after a watercolour, 1817.
  • A surgical operation to remove a malignant tumour from a man's left breast and armpit in a Dublin drawing room, 1817. Watercolour, ca 1913, after a watercolour, 1817.
  • A breast operation to remove a lump, in progress: a metal surgical implement is placed into the breast via an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • A breast operation to remove a lump, in progress: metal surgical tongs hold a lump taken from the breast via an incision in the armpit. Photograph by Félix Méheux, ca. 1900.
  • The circulatory system: dissection of the armpit of a man, showing the musculature and lymph nodes and with arteries, blood vessels and veins indicated in red and blue. Coloured lithograph by J. Maclise, 1841/1844.
  • Left, a man suffers the "torture of water"; left, a man tied to a rack has his armpits and the soles of his feet scorched by candles. Etching.
  • Cynara cardunculus L. Asteraceae. Cardoon, Globe Artichoke, Artechokes, Scolymos cinara, Cynara, Cinara. Distribution: Southern Europe and North Africa. Lyte (1576) writes that Dodoens (1552) could find no medical use for them and Galen (c.200 AD) said they were indigestible unless cooked. However, he relates that other authors recommend that if the flower heads are soaked in strong wine, they 'provoke urine and stir up lust in the body.' More prosaically, the roots boiled in wine and drunk it cause the urine to be 'stinking' and so cures smelly armpits. He adds that it strengthens the stomach so causing women to conceive Male children. He goes on to say that the young shoots boiled in broth also stir up lust in men and women, and more besides. Lyte (1576) was translating, I think with elaborations, from the chapter on Scolymos cinara, Artichaut, in Dodoen's Croydeboeck (1552) as L'Ecluse's French translation, Dodoens Histoire des Plantes (1575) does not mention these latter uses, but Dodoen's own Latin translation, the Pemptades (1583), and Gerard's Herbal (1633) both do so. It is useful in understanding the history of these translations to realise that Gerard uses, almost verbatim, the translation of the 'smelly armpit' paragraph from Lyte. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Cynara cardunculus L. Asteraceae. Cardoon, Globe Artichoke, Artechokes, Scolymos cinara, Cynara, Cinara. Distribution: Southern Europe and North Africa. Lyte (1576) writes that Dodoens (1552) could find no medical use for them and Galen (c.200 AD) said they were indigestible unless cooked. However he relates that other authors recommend that if the flower heads are soaked in strong wine, they 'provoke urine and stir up lust in the body.' More prosaically, the roots boiled in wine and drunk it cause the urine to be 'stinking' and so cures smelly armpits. He adds that it strengthens the stomach so causing women to conceive Male children. He goes on to say that the young shoots boiled in broth also stir up lust in men and women, and more besides. Lyte (1576) was translating, I think with elaborations, from the chapter on Scolymos cinara, Artichaut, in Dodoen's Croydeboeck (1552) as L'Ecluse's French translation (1575) does not mention these latter uses, but Dodoen's own Latin translation, the Pemptades(1583), and Gerard's (1633) both do so. It is useful in understanding the history of these translations to realise that Gerard uses, almost verbatim, the translation of the 'smelly armpit' paragraph from Lyte. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • 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.
  • Multinucleated giant cell containing an asteroid, microscopy.
  • Acu-moxa chart: Heart Envelope channel of hand jueyin
  • Plate 6, Surgical anatomy of the axilla.
  • Plate LXV, Post-mortem view of enlarged lymphoma glands.
  • Treatment of acute pathologies, bowel disease, lithograph
  • A man helps two people, one of them a surgeon, suffering from plague. Drawing, c. 1789, after P. Mignard.
  • Man with smallpox