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  • Article

Revelations of blindness in the Middle Ages

Medieval texts, from Islamic medical treatises to Christian books of miracles, reveal surprisingly varied and complex experiences of blindness. But when medieval scholar Jude Seal experienced visual impairment themselves, they gained an even deeper understanding of the lives they were studying.

  • Article

Enduring taboos and the future of skin bleaching

Many condemn skin bleaching in public while secretly lightening their own complexions. To break away from these taboos, we need honest information and open conversation.

  • Article

The secret lives of Britain’s first Black physicians

Dr Annabel Sowemimo explores the web of connections between early Black British doctors, the role of empire in West Africa and the pernicious reach of scientific racism.

  • Article

WhatsApp aunties and the spread of fake news

The advantages of WhatApp chat groups – especially as a cost-free way of keeping in touch with family around the world – make them fertile ground for the spread of bogus medical advice. Writer Rianna Walcott explores how to encourage ‘aunties’ in the community to question the truth of unattributed health hoaxes.

All stories (15)

Images

  • The Virgin of the Holy Name of Mary in the Church of S. Pantaleon in Rome. Engraving by V. Mariotti, 1689.
  • Church of St. Bartholomew, Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy: site of the Roman temple of Aesculapius. Photograph by Peter Johnston-Saint, 1930.
  • Church of Santa Maria della Confraternita dell'Orazione e Morte, Rome: people visiting the chapel. Lithograph by F. Villain after A.J.-B. Thomas, 1823.
  • An episode in the novel Niccolò de' Lapi. by Massimo D'Azeglio: a massacre in a church during the Sack of Rome is interrupted by the arrival of the soldier of fortune Fanfulla da Lodi. Wood engraving by A. Centenari and G. Sabbatini after R. Venturi.
  • The western and eastern churches represented by St. Peter's in Rome and S. Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople); Jewish circumcision and the baptism of a baby by a bishop . Engraving by R. Smith.
  • The western and eastern churches represented by St. Peter's in Rome and S. Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople); Jewish circumcision and the baptism of a baby by a bishop . Engraving by R. Smith.
  • The western and eastern churches represented by St. Peter's in Rome and S. Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople); Jewish circumcision and the baptism of a baby by a bishop, with a border showing headwear of different groups. Engraving by R. Smith.
  • The western and eastern churches represented by St. Peter's in Rome and S. Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople); Jewish circumcision and the baptism of a baby by a bishop, with a border showing headwear of different groups. Engraving by R. Smith.
  • Christ with the Sacred Heart venerated by the Church represented by members of the orders. Process print.
  • Beatrice Cenci and her stepmother, in bed in prison in Rome, hear their mandate of execution being read by a Papal envoy accompanied by members of a confraternity of Saint John the Baptist. Etching, ca. 1850.
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