Stories

Our editorial space explores health and human experience through original storytelling. Discover lived experiences, historical perspectives and stories that challenge whose voices are heard.

  • In pictures

When syphilis met its magic bullet

Salvarsan was the world's first medical ‘magic bullet’. Felipe Martínez-Fernández traces how this experimental compound evolved into a global commodity and a fixture of popular culture.

  • Short film

A medieval birthing girdle MS.632

An in-depth exploration of the content and use of a 500 year-old birth girdle, guided by medieval researcher Dr Kierri Price.

Part of Protection and the medieval birth scroll
  • Article

Representing women's experiences of infertility

From medieval birth scrolls to online discussion forums, Sally Butcher's artwork explores the the historical and contemporary impact of language on how we think about (or don't think about) infertility.

Part of Protection and the medieval birth scroll
  • Book extract

Through the valley of gloom

What does depression feel like – and what helps? Gavin Francis reflects on language, culture and care, and the small steps that can light the way through the gloom.

Part of Inside our books
  • Long read

The art of intensive care

If we can imagine a utopian future for medicine, its model would be the ICU. Elinor Cleghorn explores the history of intensive care, and how her brush with death taught her care’s true meaning.

Disability pride

From creativity and self-expression to access and inclusion, these six stories explore disability through lived experience. Together they challenge stereotypes, celebrate disabilities, and highlight the power of disabled voices.

  • Article

How writing helps me manage schizophrenia

For Erica Crompton, writing is much more than a career. It’s an essential component of her mental health toolkit.

  • Article

Succumbing to stimming in dance

As a child, Susanna Dye felt ashamed of their need to stim, but has found a way to incorporate these repetitive movements into their creative practice as a dancer and facilitator.

  • Article

Acting, disableism and inclusive theatre

Deaf theatre director Jenny Sealey discusses inclusivity, community and the resilience of disabled actors.

Part of Art, activism and access
  • In pictures

Challenging stereotypes of people with learning disabilities

Explore the voices and photographs of people with and without learning disabilities who have worked with creative arts company Heart n Soul over the last 30 years.

  • Article

How my wheelchair changed my life

A young woman diagnosed with a disabling condition found her world shrank without the mobility aids she needed to get outside. Finally facing the stigma around using a wheelchair transformed her everyday life.

Part of Being patient
  • Article

The politics and power of audio-description

Traditional theatre audio-description often lets down artists and audiences. But, done well, it has the potential to be a force for creativity as well as accessibility.

Part of Art, activism and access
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Comics

Explore new perspectives on bodies, brains and health with our guest comic artists.

Books

We publish thought-provoking books exploring health and human experiences.

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  • Article

Protecting body and soul in medieval childbirth

Dr Róisín Donohoe examines the place of the birth scroll, in protecting women in childbirth from death, loss and damnation.

Part of Protection and the medieval birth scroll
  • Article

Counting, breathing, pushing, praying

Giving birth can feel like going into battle and the risks for mother and baby can be just as high.

Part of Protection and the medieval birth scroll
  • Article

Close encounter with a medieval birth scroll

Researcher Kierri Price is confronted by the dilemma of discovering the past while preserving it for the future in their very personal encounter with a 500 year-old manuscript.

Part of Protection and the medieval birth scroll
  • Photo story

There at the end

Through the stories of six hospice and palliative care workers, photographer Anna Gordon reflects on the meaningful moments that shape our final days.

  • Article

A school for deaf children

Formal deaf education in England started at the end of the 18th century with an innovative school in London.

  • In pictures

(Mis)representations of gout

Gout became known as a fashionable disease of the rich and powerful, but did its notoriety diminish the personal experiences of this painful condition?

Part of Inside our collections
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