Stories
- Article
A brief history of tattoos
The earliest evidence of tattoo art dates from 5000 BC, and the practice continues to hold meaning for many cultures around the world.
- Article
Deadly doses and the hardest of hard drugs
The invention of the modern hypodermic syringe meant we could get high – or accidentally die – faster than before. Find out how this medical breakthrough was adapted for deadly uses.
- Article
The meanings of hurt
In the early modern period, gruesome incidents of self-castration and other types of self-injury garnished the literature of the time. Alanna Skuse explores the messages these wounds conveyed.
Catalogue
- Archives and manuscripts
- Online
M0005576: Tattoo designs used in medicine
Date: 8 August 1938Reference: WT/D/1/20/1/45/88Part of: Wellcome Trust Corporate Archive- Archives and manuscripts
- Online
M0005575: Illustrations with the caption "Tattoo designs used in medicine"
Date: 8 August 1938Reference: WT/D/1/20/1/45/87Part of: Wellcome Trust Corporate Archive- Archives and manuscripts
- Online
M0005574: Illustrations of tattoo designs seen during an expedition to the Torres Straits
Date: 8 August 1938Reference: WT/D/1/20/1/45/86Part of: Wellcome Trust Corporate Archive- Pictures
- Online
Six arms showing different designs of tattoo, and two smaller views of tattoos. Process print, 1903.
Date: 25 November 1903Reference: 35574i- Pictures
Pec Spectacular.
Date: [between 1980 and 2000]Reference: 3304964iPart of: The James Gardiner Collection.