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Charming family scenes in Victorian ads for children’s medicines were at odds with some of the dangerous ingredients they contained.

Gloucester, 1896. Ethel Cromwell is taken ill at the height of Britain’s last great smallpox epidemic.

In the days when ‘bad air’ was thought to spread disease, dozens of Inspectors of Nuisances ceaselessly struggled against the perils of dirt – both visible and invisible.

Our new exhibition explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to older age, and asks how societies can adapt to ensure everyone ages better.

Medical historian Dr Kristin Hussey takes a closer look at sunstroke and mental illness, and how, in the late 19th century, they connected at the crossroads of colonial science and the idea of whiteness.

Fitzrovia, 1875. A woman recorded only as A.G. enters hospital and is diagnosed with syphilis.

When an inherited condition caused Alex Lee’s vision to deteriorate, he began to discover the technologies that would help him navigate the world around him. Here he describes how his life began to change.

This exhibition explores humanity’s vital connection with freshwater – an essential source of life and pillar of good health for people and planet.

Before the invention of X-ray in 1895 there was really only one way to accurately study the human body, and that was to cut it open.

Guy Stagg takes us on a brief history of rehab centres and their approaches to addiction and recovery.

Today, cocaine has a very poor public image as one of the causes of crime and violence. But for the Victorians it was welcomed as the saviour of modern surgery.

Architects might produce buildings that enhance our health, but at what cost? Kristin Hohenadel explores architecture’s pressurised and stressful culture.

The City of London, 1665. As the Great Plague hits the capital, John New faces a deadly dilemma.

Wellcome Collection was opened today by Nobel Prize winner Professor James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA ...

Formal deaf education in England started at the end of the 18th century with an innovative school in London.

Paula Broom’s photograph of Sydney’s Centennial Park shows the complexity and joy we find in urban greenery.

Barbers and hairdressers have a unique view of us – one that means they can spot potentially dangerous health problems. Find out how buzzcuts can lead to blood-pressure checks, and dip-dyes show the way to the dermatologist.

Does having a debilitating disease help or hinder creative genius?

Exploring how the experience of mental illness have been shaped over centuries and what the future might hold.

How a young Indian monk’s travels around the world inspired modern yoga.