Galvanism is not something you would necessarily assume to be tied to health. But one of the definitions “The therapeutic use of currents” makes it clear that this has often been the case. Today we use currents in pacemakers and defibrillators, but in the Victorian era the uses were wide ranging and often disturbing.
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Christmas Conviction
Join Gemma and Daniel as they talk Christmas crime, and institutional traditions.
The Usual Haunts – An Overnight (Para)normal Experience at Bodmin Prison
Since its inauguration in 1779, it has served as a prison, a secret hideaway for the crown jewels in WWII, a casino, a strip club and will latterly become a hotel. Bodmin Jail was both prison and execution site and thousands of people, over the years, bore witness to the final moments of society’s most maligned.
Halloween Podcast
Join Daniel and Gemma as they talk mysteries and murder in Woking
Our visit to Dartmoor Prison Museum
Nestled in the bosom of a misty set of hills, Dartmoor Prison with its circular sides has been in use since the Napoleonic wars. French, American and English prisoners have walked through its gates and not all have left through that self-same portal, at least not upright.
The Seven Poor Travellers by Charles Dickens (et al.)
But something about a Dickens, however small, drew me to it. I tucked my erstwhile bedfellow away, behind a compendium of the History of Woking, and took the tiny spine in my hands to devour. Thus, began a most curious journey through a multimedium, multi-authored compilation of Victorian stories.
All That Remains; A life in Death, by Sue Black (Read by Sue Black)
For anyone who listens to audiobooks as much as I do, finding an unexpected treasure is tantamount to winning the lottery and, for me, this audiobook was a win of the highest order.
An Interview with Michelle Higgs – Author of Tracing Your Ancestors In Lunatic Asylums
Institutional History were lucky enough to interview the incredibly talented author Michelle Higgs, who recently released her latest book Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums
The Sharp End of The Law – Our Visit to The Spike in Guildford
Hidden up a hill, close to the station, the Spike is what’s left of the casual ward for the Guildford Union Workhouse. The Workhouse was completed in 1838 as a response to the changes in the poor law. The Poor Law of 1834 legislated that no persons could receive poor relief or money from authorities except in a workhouse.
The Mad, Bad, & Bizarre Part 3
Join Daniel and Gemma as they talk murder, zooiphilia, and victims.