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The 18th century saw multiple technical developments in both printing and medicine. Colourful collaborations ensued – to the benefit of growing ranks of medical students.

Mystery and controversy surround the dark-skinned religious icon who represents the Virgin Mary throughout the Catholic world.

Colonial botanical texts, as astonishingly beautiful as they are, may cast very dark shadows.

Fashionable seaside towns in England owe much of their popularity to 18th-century doctors, who advised them to take the 'sea cure'.

Some people will use a dose of ginger to help with hangovers – but it hasn’t always been a friend to the thirsty.

Prison officers tried to regulate women’s minds and bodies and maintain a new disciplinary routine in the second half of the 1800s.

How did the Church rake in revenue from 14th-century sex regulations? Kate Lister explores a bishop’s lucrative rulebook.

Throughout history, medics and campaigners have tried to stamp out masturbation – but is modern science transforming its reputation?

Blood. Phlegm. Black bile. Yellow bile. The theory of the four humours informed many of Shakespeare's best-known characters, including the phlegmatic Falstaff.

Some surprising occupations pose hidden risks to dental health. Could your ivories be in particular peril?

How the modern world changed the life and reputation of the yogi.

The story behind why somebody tried to sell Henry Wellcome a unicorn head in 1928.

The ‘Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection’ display features a rare medieval birth scroll and explores protective practices and beliefs around pregnancy, childbirth and infertility past and present.

Join a performance-based workshop, exploring the effects of transgenerational trauma through the lived experiences of people of colour.

Join Caroline Butten from our library team in an interactive workshop designed to help you explore our collections and inspire your own research projects.

Join Sauren Blaney from our library team in an interactive workshop designed to help you explore the zines in our collection.

Our collections are an incredible resource for all kinds of research, whether you are an artist or writer looking for inspiration, an academic researcher, or just curious about something in our exhibitions.

Journey into the complex medical and religious history of women’s bodies from classical Greece to the modern day.

An illuminating, life-affirming book by Daniel Tammet that celebrates the power and beauty of the neurodivergent mind.

Join this workshop for reflections, conversations and creative activities around the theme of food and healing.