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Abstract

War is almost always the mother of scarcity and scarcity breeds invention. During the American Civil War of 1861–65, the Union blockade of the Southern States created shortages of all kinds, including medical supplies, especially acute since the industrial regions of the USA were mainly in the North. The South was principally agrarian. The primary object of the blockade, which became increasingly effective as the war dragged on, was to disrupt the Southern economy, especially the export of cotton to Europe. Imports were equally affected, including chemicals as well as armaments. Objects and the story of medicineAn object is a tangible thing. It can be held in the hand, turned this way and that, and appraised with the eye. It may create a sound or emit an odour. In certain circumstances objects have flavours, although our sense of taste is only needed if the object in question was intended to be ingested—even then care must be excised, as Paracelsus (c 1493–1541) wrote “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison: the dose alone makes a thing not poison”. Full-Text PDF LancetBlood is usually let these days for diagnostic, not therapeutic, purposes; it is taken with a syringe and collected in tubes with differently coloured tops. Blood used to be let with a lancet (“little lance”), and although physicians often observed blood's properties to aid in diagnosing disease, phlebotomy's main purpose was to assist recovery. “Blood”, as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote, “is a special juice”. Full-Text PDF Egyptian cowrie necklacePregnancy is a natural part of the female life course. Modern medicine facilitates an intense scrutiny of the developing fetus: ultrasound imaging allows non-invasive visual assessments and brings much joy to expectant parents. Tests using the mother's blood, fetal blood, and amniotic fluid provide information about potential genetic abnormalities and birth defects. Where they are available, these technologies have supplanted older folk ways of safeguarding the health of mother and child. One of the most enduring is the widespread belief in the protective power of cowrie shells. Full-Text PDF William Harvey's demonstration rodWhat do Napoleon's toothbrush, George Washington's false teeth, and William Harvey's pointer have in common? They are all in museums, not because of their intrinsic value but by virtue of their association with a famous individual. Most historians these days doubt the cogency of Thomas Carlyle's comment that “History is the essence of innumerable biographies”, and of great men at that. Nevertheless, the cult of celebrity means that even ordinary objects acquire special significance when they were once the possession of someone deemed worthy of remembering. Full-Text PDF Blood bottles“The life of the flesh is in the blood”, says the Old Testament book of Leviticus. This vital fluid has a long therapeutic history. For centuries drinking it or bathing in it were the most common methods of seeking its healing properties. Transfusing blood waited until the 17th century, when unsuccessful experiments in London and Paris attempted to show its potential but instead revealed its dangers. Dogs seemed to cope with transfused blood from other dogs, but human beings could not tolerate blood from docile sheep or other humans, at least after the experiment was repeated. Full-Text PDF The herbarium sheetDespite the power of synthetic chemistry, medicine still needs the natural products of plants. Plants are important as potential sources of new drugs. In the past they provided the raw materials for therapeutics. Using the correct kind of plant was important, since plants can poison as well as heal. But the species was also important. One common way of recording their identity and establishing permanent preserved specimens was with the herbarium sheet. This simple piece of paper held the dried and pressed plants parts, which could then be labelled with the name and place of origin. Full-Text PDF The straitjacketRestraint is deemed to make civilised life possible, although as Sigmund Freud and many others have recognised, this comes at a cost. Loss of restraint was and is often considered one of the defining characteristics of “madness”, as the Victorians called it. Its loss rendered the unfortunate person either bad or mad. If they could not restrain themselves, institutional solutions beckoned: the prison or the “madhouse”. High walls, but also the possibility of physical restraint. Sedating drugs from the late 19th century offered a mental numbing, an internal chemical restraint. Full-Text PDF