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Stories

  • Article

Female masturbation and the perils of pleasure

Dr Kate Lister exposes the brutal 19th-century ‘cures’ for women who indulged in masturbation.

  • Article

The enduring myth of the mad genius

There’s a fine line to tread between creativity and psychosis.

  • Article

Coleridge’s hypochondria

An intense focus on his own bodily sensations led poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge to self-medicate with narcotics. But this fascination also put Coleridge ahead of the medical sensibilities of his day.

  • Article

Dyslexia and its misconceptions

Overcoming common myths about dyslexia only adds to the challenges of growing up with the condition. Madeleine Morley, who was diagnosed with dyslexia aged eight, goes into myth-busting mode and shares her personal experiences.

All stories (9)

Images

  • John Abernethy. 'The march of intellect'
  • Six examples of "the march of intellect". Coloured etching by R. Seymour, 1829.
  • John Abernethy, caricatured under "Physic", one of six scenes in "the march of intellect". Coloured etching by R. Seymour after himself, 1829.
  • Science: a parody frontispiece to the Penny Magazine, with humorous representations of the "March of intellect" movement. Lithograph by G. Davies, 1832, after C.J. Grant.
  • A man whose face expresses, according to Lavater, a great capacity for discernment. Drawing, c. 1794.
  • Head of a man whose physiognomy shows prudence and ingenuity. Drawing, c. 1794.
  • A man writing; representing the faculty of memory. Engraving, 16--.
  • A woman holds the sun in her hand; representing the faculty of understanding. Engraving, 16--.
  • A man writing; representing the faculty of memory. Engraving, 16--.
  • A woman with a globe containing a face; representing the faculty of the will. Engraving, 16--.
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