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  • Article

The healing power of the physic garden

Having experienced the healing power of plants and gardens, Iona Glen goes in search of present-day “physic gardens” and their origins in history.

  • Article

The extraordinary body of Evatima Tardo

Darling of 19th-century American freak shows, Evatima Tardo remained serene as she withstood crucifixion and the bites of poisonous snakes. But she took the secret behind her abilities to her grave.

  • Article

The unearthly children of science fiction’s Cold War

In the 1950s a new figure emerged in British novels, film and television: a disturbing young alien that revealed postwar society’s fear of the unruly power of teenagers.

  • Book extract

The psychology of Ouija

Explore the science behind table tilting and Ouija boards, and discover how the unscrupulous still make money from exploiting the ‘ideomotor’ effect.

All stories (29)

Images

  • The physiognomical system of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim; founded on an anatomical and physiological examination of the nervous system in general, and of the brain in particular; and indicating the dispositions and manifestations of the mind / Being at the same time a book of reference for Dr. Spurzheim's demonstrative lectures.
  • The physiognomical system of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim; founded on an anatomical and physiological examination of the nervous system in general, and of the brain in particular; and indicating the dispositions and manifestations of the mind / Being at the same time a book of reference for Dr. Spurzheim's demonstrative lectures.
  • John Abernethy. Coloured etching by S. W. Fores, 1825.
  • A physician taking the pulse of a young woman who shows him her tongue. Drawing by M. von Luttich.
  • An eminent physician looks at the tongue of an elderly hypochondriac. Colour etching after J.F. Dunant, 1823.
  • An eminent physician looks at the tongue of an elderly hypochondriac. Colour etching after J.F. Dunant, 1823.
  • A sick man projects his tongue while a doctor takes his pulse. Coloured lithograph.
  • A physician examines a patient's tongue. Lithograph by Charles Vernier, 1853.
  • A physician examines a patient's tongue. Lithograph by Charles Vernier, 1853.
  • A group of physicians trying to diagnose a young woman's illness in a scene from Molière's L'amour médecin. Etching attributed to G. Schouten after J.B. Molière.
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