Anatomy of the City 11 – Opium on Oxford Street
In 1802 a sharp-witted Manchester schoolboy ran away to seek his fortune in London. Young Thomas de Quincey found himself homeless and broke, and he stayed for a while in … Continue reading
Anatomy of the City 10 – Casanova in Soho
Despite appearances, sex in Soho has not always been a matter of mere commerce. Its streets have played host to some of the most notorious lovers in history, and in … Continue reading
Anatomy of the City 9 – Samuel Pepys’ stone feast
Samuel Pepys – diarist, civil servant, and Restoration man-about-town – was born in 1632 in a house on Salisbury Court, near St Bride’s Church. But it was also there that … Continue reading
Michael Faraday & public science in the London Review of Books
Charles Darwin may have displaced Michael Faraday as the contemporary icon of Victorian science – whether permanently or temporarily remains to be seen (though the metric of Twitter followers suggests … Continue reading
John Snow and cholera
As it is usually told, the story of John Snow and cholera begins with one of those great moments that historians used to be so fond of. On the morning … Continue reading
Sick City Talks 8 – Matthew Reynolds
There needs no ghost come from the grave to tell us that the world, and the place of medicine within it, is being revolutionised by new and powerful kinds of … Continue reading
Anatomy of the City 8 – Turnmills Street and toshers
The Fleet has always been a working river. From Roman times until the early eighteenth century it served as one of London’s major trade routes. Fairly large vessels could venture … Continue reading
‘Pocket Horizon’ – poems inspired by science, medicine and history
Over the last month I’ve been working with the poet Kelley Swain and her group – the Nevada Street Poets – on a new project which mixes poetry with science, … Continue reading
‘Sensational Bodies’ – two guided walks for the Museum of London
In 2006 archaeologists from the Museum of London made a remarkable discovery in a burial ground at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel – 262 bodies, some complete, others fragmentary, … Continue reading
Anatomy of the City 7 – Rackstrow’s Anatomical Museum
In an age of Enlightenment, learning about the human body was one means of acquiring polish, just as young English milordi were sent off on the Grand Tour to learn … Continue reading
