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Stories

  • Article

Succumbing to stimming in dance

As a child, Susanna Dye felt ashamed of their need to stim, but has found a way to incorporate these repetitive movements into their creative practice as a dancer and facilitator.

  • Article

Making sense of senses lost

In rapid succession, Steve Barker suddenly lost sight and hearing on his left side. The effect on how he perceives the world has been profound.

  • Book extract

A history of sex for sale

Kate Lister’s cultural history of the sex trade puts sex workers centre stage. In this extract, she argues why the way we write, think and talk about sex work matters.

  • Long read

Healthy scepticism

Healthcare sceptics – like those opposed to Covid-19 vaccinations – often have serious, nuanced reasons for doubting medical authorities.

All stories (42)

Images

  • Illicium anisatum L. Illiciaceae Japanese Star Anise. Distribution Japan. This was also called Illicium religiosum and the fruits are toxic. Effects of taking Illicium anisatum tea include epilepsy, vomiting, shakiness and rapid eye movements (US Food and Drug Administration report, 2003). Lindley (1838) and Bentley (1861) thought that I. anisatum was used in cooking, but they were describing the uses of I. verum which is used as a spice in Asia. Illicium anisatum syn. religiosum is 'used to make incense in Japanese and Chinese temples and was called Skimi by Kaempfer. This derives from the Japanese word 'shi-kimi'. The seed pods of both species contain shikimic acid (the name being derived from the Japanese) from which Tamiflu, the antiviral drug was synthesised. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • A gang of hunters pretend to wash their eyes with a slimy substance, thus fooling the monkeys, who 'ape' them and blind themselves, allowing the hunters to move in. Line engraving by J. Collaert after J. van der Straet, c. 1610.
  • Queen Gunhilda, consort of King Henry III of Germany, receives from her page the severed head of the man who had accused her of adultery, after he had been defeated by the page in combat, but Gunhilda renounces her victory. Engraving by S.F. Ravenet after A. Casali.
  • Human brain activation due to voluntary action
  • The blind leading the blind. Oil painting after Pieter Bruegel.
  • The blind leading the blind. Oil painting after Pieter Bruegel.
  • The blind leading the blind. Oil painting after Pieter Bruegel.
  • Honeybee eye
  • Two working-class men wearing top hats and moustaches, imitating the fashions of the upper classes, rejoice in their new-found equality in fashion. Wood engraving after John Leech, 1854.
  • Greenfly eye, SEM.
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Catalogue

All works (236)