Dame Maud Mccarthy Gbe Rrc - the Matron-in-chief in France of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service image: a half length portrait of Dame Maud McCarthy, wearing her distinctive grey and red QAIMNS uniform and sitting at a desk.

'McCarthy sailed in the first ship to leave England with members of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), arriving in France on 12 August 1914. In 1915 she was installed at Abbeville as matron-in-chief of the BEF in France and Flanders, taking charge of the whole area from the Channel to the Mediterranean, wherever British and allied nurses worked; she was directly responsible to General Headquarters. In August 1914, the numbers in her charge were 516; by the time of the Armistice they were over 6,000. She was responsible for the nursing of hundreds of thousands of casualties from 1914 to 1918.'

Illustration showing various kinds of discoloration of the lips due to smallpox Ikeda Zuisen, Japanese Wellcome Collection.

Hands showing the sign language alphabet. Coloured etching. 

From 'The art of talking with the fingers' at the Wellcome Institute.

"The learner will perceive, on a mere inspection, that the vowels, A,E,I,O and U, are represented by the thumb and fingers of the left hand, held up, as in the first figure. When a particular vowel is to be pointed out, it is to be done by distinctly touching the end of the finger which represents it, with the first finger of the right hand. The method of representing, or expressing, the other letters of the alphabet, is sufficiently described by the figures respectively annexed to the them in the plate, except that it will be necessary to point out to the learner the dotted lines in the figures H, and J, The first of these, proceeding from the end of the fingers of the left hand, indicates, that to express the letter H, the right-hand is to be passed over the left, passing it off in the direction of this line; whilst the second signifies, that to express the letter J, the end of the first finger of the right hand is to be drawn across the palm of the left hand, commencing the movement at the root or insertion of the first finger of the left hand. A fillip or flirt with the thumb and second finger of the right hand, is used to signify that the spelling of a word has been completed. It is hoped that this little publication will prove not merely the source of much innocent amusement, but that it will be found substantially valuable as a means of enabling persons unfortunately deprived of the usual organs of conversation, to carry on an intercourse with their friends."

A woman dropping her porcelain tea-cup in horror upon discovering the monstrous contents of a magnified drop of Thames water; revealing the impurity of London drinking water. Coloured etching by W. Heath, 1828 Wellcome

In the early years of the 20th Century, Robert McGee sat for photographer E.E. Henry (1826-1917). The picture, the portrait you see above, shows McGee after he was scalped in the summer of 1864.

Back then, the 14-year-old orphan had been recruited as a teamster with the H.C. Barret company to transport a caravan of flour to Fort Union in New Mexico Territory. Date: c.1890

The full story can be read on our site. 

Svami Hamsasvarupa's Shatchakra niroopana chittra with bhashya and bhasha containing the pictures of the different nerves and plexuses of the human body with their full description showing the easiest method how to practise pranayam by the mental suspension of breath through meditation only.

19 scenes depicting popular disillusionment with doctors and medicine. Coloured wood engraving with watercolour by Henriot (Henri Maigrot) c.1900.

Poster recommending eye examinations for children having difficulty learning, showing a woman holding an eye chart in front of a boy reading a book. Date: 1936/7.

Mlle Ch** teenage girl suffering from the effects of masturbation, Wellcome Collection.

"In 1875, ‘The Ladies’ Medical Guide’ described the symptoms of masturbation for parents to watch out for in their daughters, such as “a greenish tint around the eyes” and a greatly impaired digestion. The guide warned that the young woman might be “averse to play” and seek “solitary places where it can indulge in its vicious propensities” until ultimately “the intellect grows weaker and weaker until imbecility and idiocy overwhelm the victim”.

Young male - before and after the effects of masturbation - Hand-coloured engraving: Credit: Wellcome Collection.

Anatomical Illustration Illustration of human viscera. By Paulo Mascagni. 'exploded thorax' 

Paolo Mascagni (1755 -1815) was Prosector of Anatomy at the University of Siena, which meant he was responsible for leading dissection for demonstration and research. His 'Anatomia Universa' was a comprehensive work of anatomy with forty-four hand coloured plates.

The main figure here is surrounded by smaller studies. At the top of the plate, the hearts have had the 'epicardium', the outer layer of heart tissue, removed to reveal the cardiac muscle. The heart at the bottom left is viewed from above to reveal the aortic valve. The smaller figures are foetal dissections revealing the umbilical artery and vein.

Interior of the heart, lungs, liver and stomach from The Household Physician, 1905.

Phrenology Chart : a picture of good health - provenance unknown. C. 1901

Surgical-Anatomical Tables by Anton Nuhn, 1846 From the anatomical literature and drawings collection at Heidelberg University—HeidICON.

Surgical-Anatomical Tables by Anton Nuhn, 1846 From the anatomical literature and drawings collection at Heidelberg University--HeidICON.

E. Sibly : The Medical Mirror... Description 'The Insensible Perspiration'

The medical mirror; or treatise on the impregnation of the human female. Shewing the origin of diseases, and the principles of life and death. With remarks on the general effects of sea-bathing / [E. Sibly]. Ebenezer Sibly - London : Printed for the proprietor, by Lewis and Hamblin, and sold by Champante and Whitrow, 1807. 

Different stages of yellow fever, 1820
Observations sur la fièvre jaune, faites à Cadix, en 1819 / par MM. Pariset et Mazet ... et rédigées par M. Pariset.
Pariset, Etienne, 1770-1847. Mazet, André, 1793-1821.