Why read Morbid Curiosities?

Book cover of Morbid Curiosities: Medical Museums in Nineteenth-Century Britain

Book description

In the first comprehensive study of nineteenth-century medical museums, Morbid Curiosities traces the afterlives of diseased body parts. It asks how they came to be in museums, what happened to them there, and who used them.

This book is concerned with the macabre work of pathologists as they dismembered corpses…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Morbid Curiosities as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Angela Stienne

Author

It took me far too long to explore the history of medicine and the links between Egyptian mummies and medicine. Now, that’s all I talk about, and this book was pivotal in doing just that.

It’s a fascinating dive into the collections of human remains in Britain but is also an observation of the construction of medical knowledge through bodies. It is an academic book, one that I couldn’t put down.

After reading it, I started to explore the history of mummies and medicine and uncovered another story about a mummified foot. While Denon and Gautier were drinking coffee in…

From Angela's list on The best books to explain why there’s an Egyptian mummy in your back garden.