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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

Diagnosing OCD in the past

Mining the writings of and about famous historical figures, retrospective psychologists try to diagnose their mental health problems. But, inevitably, partial evidence is open to misinterpretation.

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Images

  • Gods watch from the heavens as the Flood engulfs the terrified people of Earth. Etching.
  • God, aided by an angel, a serpent and Death, inflicts calamitous weather upon the Israelites. Engraving by A. Mochetti after G. della Valle.
  • Christ presented to the people. Etching with engraving by Jacques Callot.
  • Gods watch from the heavens as the Flood engulfs the terrified people. Etching.
  • Four faces of the damned in Dante's Hell. Drawing, c. 1791.
  • The naked are led to hell on the day of judgement. Etching.
  • Zacharias (father of John the Baptist), struck dumb, writes that his son should be known as John. Etching by C. Tinti, 1771, after A. del Sarto.
  • Christ beaten and mocked before the High Priest Caiaphas. Etching by Jacques Callot.
  • A star falls into the pit of hell as locusts torture those unelected to heaven. Woodcut, c. 16th century.
  • The damned writhe in boiling cauldrons; representing hell. Woodcut.
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