Tag Archives: objects

New History of Medicine Website

General, Links, Resources,

The Science Museum, London has launched a new history of medicine website, “Brought to Life.” Meant to be the premier history of medicine resource for educators and students, the site features

images of 4,000 medical objects selected from the Science Museum’s collections. From amulets to alligators, leech jars to lodestones you can find all of these from here. The Museum’s objects, many of which are from the Wellcome Trust, cover more than 3,000 years of medical history.

Information on the site has been organized into categories including “Themes and Topics,” “Objects,” and “Technologies and Techniques.” Among the images of objects featured on the site are those of a number of objects important to the history of psychology. Under the theme “Mental Health and Illness” alone are images of nearly 200 objects, including the human phrenological skull pictured at right.

Additionally, many of the discussions featured under the site’s 15 Themes and Topics touch on issues important to the history of psychology. These include sections on “The Science of Human Difference” and “War’s Long Term Effect,” the latter of which discusses both the psychological impact of war, as well as the involvement of psychologists in the mental testing of soldiers. Under Technologies and Techniques are profiles of a number of psychologically relevant historical concepts and contraptions including, among others: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), neurasthenia, phrenology, and railway spine.

You can explore the “Brought to Life” website here.

A History of the World in 100 Objects

General, Links, Resources, ,

The British Museum and BBC Radio 4 have teamed up to present A History of the World in 100 Objects. As described on the program’s website,

At the heart of the project is the BBC Radio 4 series A History of the World in 100 objects. 100 programmes, written and narrated by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, and focusing on 100 objects from the British Museum’s collection. The programmes will travel through two million years from the earliest object in the collection to retell the history of humanity through the objects we have made. Each week will be tied to a particular theme, such as ‘after the ice age’ or ‘the beginning of science and literature’, and the programmes will broadcast in three blocks, in January, May and September.

Thus far, 15 of the 100 objects have been revealed in BBC Radio 4 podcasts. Among the online accompaniments to the project are a blog, as well as an interactive interface where users can explore the objects selected by the British Museum and the BBC can be explore.

Additionally, users can contribute to a digital museum on the project’s site by uploading an image of an object of their own. Once the image has been uploaded, users are asked to “Describe the object and its history – where the object came from, when it was made, its colour and size. You can also add links to other sites”. What items of relevance to the history of psychology would you like to see added to the BBC’s history of the world site?