medical oddities

Poisoned by a Blotter A young woman is nearly killed by a blotter soaked in poisonous perfume.

Dead Man Standing An inquiry into the fantasy of Victorian standing post-mortems: dead people, supported by headrests.

Mummy and Child In 1885, G.F. Martindale and his party made an amazing discovery in a cave in the Yosemite Valley: the mummified body of a giant woman, still holding an infant.

Vexed With Orders for Dead Monkeys. A baby giraffe chair, a swan table lamp, a door-stop made from an ostrich leg. Abominable animal art.

A Benares Lady Magnet A visitor to India finds a “Devil Woman” with the power to levitate and magnetically attract man and beast.

The Leech Imposture A picture hung in a Catholic church in France begins to bleed, baffling people, priests, and scientists alike.

The Consumption Letters: Decomposing Correspondence: A physician makes the case that the letters of the ill or dead give off the smell of death and decomposition.

A Corpse On Eggs The mystery of an infant corpse found on a layer of eggs in a Parisian chimney.

REM Sleep Repercussions Can dreams physically influence someone besides the dreamer?