Ep.9 - Head To Toe - Breasts
Join us as we explore the history of medicine, from head to toe! This time: breasts.
In this episode we explore the history of the breast.
We’ll unpick some myths about Amazonian warriors and supposed witches, before uncovering the complex power dynamics of wet nursing and breast-feeding culture.
Gender and class collide with disablism when you dig into who breast fed their own child.
And if that doesn’t sound like enough we explore the strange things that were believed to come out of the nipples and what they were thought to indicate!
Credits
Researcher and presenter: Laura Burgess has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021 after completing her MA in History from UNC Charlotte.
Editor and producer: Sarah E Hayward completed her PhD in Museums and Heritage Studies at Kingston University London in 2023. She has been a volunteer with RCPE Heritage since 2021. She has a passion for archival research and she loves to explore creative ways to assemble and share the hidden stories she uncovers.
Researcher and presenter: Olivia Howarth is a volunteer with RCPE Heritage, a recently qualified archivist, heritage enthusiast and self-proclaimed lifetime nerd with an interest in medical history.
Historical clip: Frank Rowntree compilation recordings. Part 1, Track 14. Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
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