Ailments Collection

Carbolic smoke ball
An advertisment placed by the Carbolic Smoke Ball Company for the carbolic smoke ball, a cure for all types of ailments

Carbolic Smoke Ball / 1893
Advertisement for The Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. which claimed to offer a cure for a wide variety of ailments. This led to a court case on grounds of deception & a landmark ruling

Gout (Bunbury)
No need for the sufferer from GOUT to wait till he gets to Hell - the devil gives him a foretaste of the torments that await him

SYPHILIS / 1883
Diagram to show the rash which appears in the second stage of syphilis

Gout Devil Bites 1799
A little devil sinks his teeth into the swollen foot of a gout sufferer

Enos Cockerel
Enos Fruit Salts, a popular cure for digestive ailments throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries

Valentine Greatrakes
Irish healer who, after a dream in 1662, discovered that he could heal many ailments simply by passing his hands and stroking the patient

Anti-Flu Masks
A man and a woman wearing anti-flu masks. These masks cover the nose and mouth and are designed to prevent germs spreading. They may work but they look very curious!

Typhoid Mary
MARY MALLON, (1869-1938) known as Typhoid Mary; though herself healthy, she is a carrier of typhoid and, employed as a cook, infects 22, one of whom dies

Tuberculosis Sufferer
Diagram to show how tuberculosis manifests itself in the body of a young girl

Gout Man Fishes at Home
Unable to go fishing due to his painful gout, a sufferer casts his rod into a barrel of fish, in the comfort of his living room

Advert for Foots Safty Bath Cabinets 1912
Folding cabinet used in your own room, with hot air vapour, perfumed and medicated. 1912

Horses being X-Rayed
A horse being x-rayed at the Royal Veterinary College, Camden, London, using portable x-ray apparatus, which has proved invaluable in the treatment of animal ailments

Tuberculosis Bacillus
Bacillus of tuberculosis, discovered by Koch, 1884

Measles Compared
The left boy has MEASLES (rougeole), the middle one SCARLET FEVER (scarlatine), the right SMALLPOX (petite verole volante) Can you spot the difference ?

Mr. Vernon-Ward's Treatment Salons
A photograph of the interior entrance hall which leads to Mr. Vernon-Ward's treatment salons, at Vere Street. The medical establishment had some fame for combatting obesity via fat reduction

Morocco - Chemist with his stall
A Native traditional practitioner of ritual medicine with a variety of dead animals, used to cure all manner of ills and ailments Date: circa 1930s

A touch of gout - an elderly gentleman mops his brow whilst his wife and young daughter attend to him Date: Nineteenth century

Vaccinating against smallpox in a street in Paris Date: 1893

A gouty invalid angrily rings for his manservant, presumably to fetch him some more port! Date: 18th century

RABIES/BITTEN/LIS/1874
At La Rochette, three country people, bitten by a rabid wolf, die in agony. Date: 1874

Procession commemorating the town of Pont-l Abbe delivered from the plague in the year 1632 - ex-voto of Sainte-Anne d
LSE4096969 Procession commemorating the town of Pont-l Abbe delivered from the plague in the year 1632 - ex-voto of Sainte-Anne d Auray by Unknown Artist, (19th century); Basilica

Two men at the bedside of an old man in a garret, 18th century. 1791 (engraving)
7234864 Two men at the bedside of an old man in a garret, 18th century. 1791 (engraving) by Chodowiecki, Daniel Nikolaus (1726-1801); Private Collection; (add.info)

Corpse bearers during the Plague (engraving)
7200122 Corpse bearers during the Plague (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Corpse bearers during the Plague)

Deformed woman of Prague, 1596 (engraving)
7186268 Deformed woman of Prague, 1596 (engraving) by Austrian School, (16th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Deformed woman of Prague, 1596)

Peste de Jaffa (engraving)
7179428 Peste de Jaffa (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Peste de Jaffa. Illustration for Dictionnaire Populaire Illustre by Decembre-Alonnier (c 1880)

Outbreak of the plague in London, 1641 (woodcut)
7201737 Outbreak of the plague in London, 1641 (woodcut) by English School, (17th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Outbreak of the plague in London, 1641)

View of the manner of burying the dead Bodies at Holy-well mount during the dreadful Plague in 1665 (engraving)
3103756 View of the manner of burying the dead Bodies at Holy-well mount during the dreadful Plague in 1665 (engraving) by English School

Rabbit corpses killed by chickens cholera microbe. Experience of Mme widow Pommery in Champagne
XEE4134466 Rabbit corpses killed by chickens cholera microbe. Experience of Mme widow Pommery in Champagne. (From a phtograph of Mr. Trumpet and information communicated by Mr. L. Pommery)

The Triumph of Death. Allegorical representation of Death with a fake on a hitch, corpses lie on the ground
JLJ4593424 The Triumph of Death. Allegorical representation of Death with a fake on a hitch, corpses lie on the ground. Miniature from " Triumphs

Cheerful Agony, the American banker Walker poisoned by mistake incurably, dies between music and flowers (Colour Litho)
2815549 Cheerful Agony, the American banker Walker poisoned by mistake incurably, dies between music and flowers (Colour Litho) by Beltrame

Wretched alpine trip to Val Brembana, the transport of the wounded to Bergamo after three remaining... (colour litho)
2815291 Wretched alpine trip to Val Brembana, the transport of the wounded to Bergamo after three remaining... (colour litho) by Beltrame

Portrait of Robert Koch in his laboratory (engraving, 19th century)
LRI4670026 Portrait of Robert Koch in his laboratory (engraving, 19th century) by Unknown Artist, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

The Body of Amabel carried to the Dead Cart (engraving)
725514 The Body of Amabel carried to the Dead Cart (engraving) by Franklin, John (c.1800-c.1868); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Body of Amabel carried to the Dead Cart)

Saint Thecla Praying for the Plague-Stricken, 1758-59 (oil on canvas)
1127651 Saint Thecla Praying for the Plague-Stricken, 1758-59 (oil on canvas) by Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista (Giambattista) (1696-1770); 81.3x44.8 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

La Gran Nusta Mania Occollo
BON78185 La Gran Nusta Mania Occollo by Mexican School, (18th century); 46.3x38.8 cm; Private Collection; Photo © Bonhams, London, UK

The Miracle of St. Genevieve, 1883 (mural)
XIR234445 The Miracle of St. Genevieve, 1883 (mural) by Maillot, Theodore Pierre Nicolas (1826-88); Pantheon, Paris, France; (add.info.: violent plague which killed 14)

The Plague Pit (engraving)
725515 The Plague Pit (engraving) by Franklin, John (c.1800-c.1868); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Plague Pit. Illustration for Old Saint Pauls by William Harrison Ainsworth (George Routledge)

Londoners fleeing to the country to avoid the Plague, 1630 (woodcut) (see also 87203)
STC267599 Londoners fleeing to the country to avoid the Plague, 1630 (woodcut) (see also 87203) by English School, (17th century); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection

The dwarves quarrelling over the body of Fafner, illustration from Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods
STC324256 The dwarves quarrelling over the body of Fafner, illustration from Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods, 1924 (colour litho) by Rackham

The Plague of Ashdod, or The Philistines Struck by the Plague, 1630-31 (oil on canvas)
XIR71554 The Plague of Ashdod, or The Philistines Struck by the Plague, 1630-31 (oil on canvas) by Poussin, Nicolas (1594-1665); 148x198 cm; Louvre, Paris

A traveller in turban plays dead while attacked by a bear. 1811 (etching)
7235861 A traveller in turban plays dead while attacked by a bear. 1811 (etching) by Howitt, Samuel (1756-1822); (add.info.: A traveller in turban plays dead while attacked by a bear)

A dying lion is attacked by a boar, a donkey and a cow. 1811 (etching)
7235854 A dying lion is attacked by a boar, a donkey and a cow. 1811 (etching) by Howitt, Samuel (1756-1822); (add.info.: A weak and dying lion is attacked on all sides)

Portrait of Robert Koch, Nobel Prize winner for his work on tuberculosis (engraving, 19th century)
LRI4670048 Portrait of Robert Koch, Nobel Prize winner for his work on tuberculosis (engraving, 19th century) by Unknown Artist

Bicocca degli Arcimboldi: 15th century fresco, detail of the cutting of fabrics and a dwarf (fresco)
7240205 Bicocca degli Arcimboldi: 15th century fresco, detail of the cutting of fabrics and a dwarf (fresco) by Italian School

A Country Vaccination (engraving)
7157365 A Country Vaccination (engraving) by Hornemann, Friedrich Adolph (1813-1890); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Country Vaccination)

Les animaux malades de la plague - The Animals Sick of the Plague (Collection 2, Book 7)
XEE4161974 Les animaux malades de la plague - The Animals Sick of the Plague (Collection 2, Book 7, fable 2) - engraving from " A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine" Illustrated by Percy J

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From the curious Carbolic Smoke Ball of 1893 to the infamous Gout Devil Bites in 1799, history is filled with peculiar remedies for various ailments. The past is a treasure trove of bizarre and sometimes dangerous attempts at finding relief. Take, for instance, the case of Bunbury and his gout - a condition that plagued many throughout time. In 1883, Syphilis was a grave concern, leading desperate individuals to seek unconventional treatments. Even renowned figures like Enos Cockerel and Valentine Greatrakes were believed to possess healing powers beyond explanation. As time progressed, new challenges emerged, such as the flu pandemic that prompted the use of anti-flu masks or Typhoid Mary's notorious role in spreading disease. Tuberculosis sufferers faced isolation and stigma due to their condition while others sought solace in unusual activities like "Gout Man Fishes at Home. " In an ever-evolving world seeking solutions for health issues, advertisements played their part too. One notable example was an advert from 1912 promoting Foots Safety Bath Cabinets as a means to alleviate foot-related discomfort. These glimpses into medical history remind us how far we have come in understanding ailments and treating them effectively. While some methods may seem outlandish today, they reflect humanity's relentless pursuit of well-being across centuries - a testament to our unwavering determination when it comes to conquering afflictions both known and unknown.