Archive - The Quack Doctor

The tooth, the whole tooth … and the jawbone too

18th-century dentist Thomas Berdmore revealed the agonies his patients endured before, during and after treatment.

Dec 13, 2024 • Caroline Rance

The melancholy delusion of the Stewart sisters

In 1860s Glasgow, Marion and Catherine Stewart withdrew from all contact with the outside world.

Jan 24, 2025 • Caroline Rance

The human x-ray scientists

The Grant brothers of Maidstone claimed they could see into people's lungs.

Jul 12, 2024 • Caroline Rance

Death, sweat and fears in Tudor England

The mystery of the English sweating sickness still hasn't been solved, but in 1552 Dr John Caius gave his view on what caused it, and how to avoid it.

Sep 30, 2025 • Caroline Rance

Caught short on a long trip

Discreet india-rubber receptacles helped Victorian rail passengers survive their journey

Apr 17, 2025 • Caroline Rance

A thorn in the flesh

A Victorian doctor's own mysterious symptoms puzzled his eminent friends

Feb 21, 2025 • Caroline Rance

No more ugly ears

Claxton's Ear-Cap offered Victorian mothers a way to prevent their little ones' ears from sticking out.

Jul 23, 2025 • Caroline Rance

Josephine Girardelli, the incombustible lady

'The celebrated fire-proof female' entertained Regency audiences with feats of heat resistance

Nov 29, 2024 • Caroline Rance

'A diabolical concoction': Dr Buckland's Scotch Oats Essence

Dr H H Kane claimed he could cure opium addiction with a humble tincture of oats.

Jan 10, 2025 • Caroline Rance

Tin tube trickery: a clairvoyant’s love scam

‘Professor Clyde Dupree’ used a fortune-telling trick to rob people looking for love.

Feb 14, 2025 • Caroline Rance

On sledge and horseback ... to scandal

Victorian nurse Kate Marsden completed an incredible mission across Siberia – but not everyone appreciated her efforts.

Dec 8, 2025 • Caroline Rance

From slave to surgeon: the heroic journey of Robert M Johnson

Robert Maxwell Johnson escaped enslavement and travelled to Scotland to become a doctor.

Oct 11, 2024 • Caroline Rance

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