Gabrielle Robilliard (@gabyrobilliard) Bsky

Teleportation, aliens and cancer-busting soda - it’s not just Trump going cuckoo, his officials are too | Arwa Mahdawi As the president’s men rave about paranormal events and Diet Coke, it seems the US’s only hope is extraterrestrial intervention

You couldn’t make this up … (laugh, sigh, cry) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

5 days ago 3 0 0 0

Born into slavery, Gustav Badin became part of Swedish royal court and left legacy of books and letters.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

1 week ago 77 31 4 2

That is spot on, it will not be easy for the government that follows. However, the majority of Hungarians have finally said no more to Orbán, Fidesz and Orbánism - in what looks like a landslide. This is a pretty big deal.

1 week ago 1 0 0 0

Hungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in power Long-serving prime minister beaten by opposition after early results showed clear lead

Orbán has apparently just conceded defeat in Hungarian election. Tizsa with Magyar may take 2/3 majority. This feels momentous!
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

1 week ago 9 0 0 0

Too right.

1 week ago 1 0 0 0

In school whenever we were asked to solve a problem or answer a tricky question, our teachers would say “Put on your thinking hats!”. Mostly sincerely intended … and we were usually busily multitasking too (whispering to neighbour, scribbling secret notes, crafting marginalia, daydreaming, etc.).

1 week ago 4 0 1 0

CALL FOR TEN (10) PARTICIPATION GRANTS | Circulating Faith: Christian Missions in a Global Perspective (1500–2000) International Conference — 16–18 September 2026 Fondazione Bruno Kessler – Italian-German Historical Institute (FBK-ISIG) Trento, Italy

10 grants available (up to €300) for travel and expenses to join us in Trento, Italy, 16-18 September, for postgrads and ECRs working on a topic related to 'Circulating Faith: Christian Missions in a Global Perspective (1500–2000)' deadline 30 April isig.fbk.eu/it/news/deta... #earlymodern 🗃️

2 weeks ago 33 38 0 1

The fiddle loom is crudely carved from a single piece of oak. It stands 655mm high from the top of the head to the base of the body with a maximum width of 375mm. A triangular opening cut into the wedge-shaped top provides a handle. Nine vertical ‘slots’ cut into the body of the loom created ten vertical ‘slats’. Each slat features a drilled hole (six–seven mm diameter) positioned approximately at the midpoint of the slat’s height.

This crudely carved oak object, found in a cabin towards the bow of the Mary Rose, is a fiddle loom, and was used to weave sturdy strops for use onboard.

2 weeks ago 32 5 2 0

A new mega series begins today from @empirepoduk.bsky.social
THE ARAB-ISRAELI WARS
Part One: Israel, Palestine, Suez & Closing The Straits of Tiran

3 weeks ago 107 37 4 9

Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It. 40 Google features to find exactly what you need, the alternative search engines that do things Google won't, and the reference desk framework underneath all of it.

This is a great list of techniques for getting real information out of a Google search and avoiding AI slop and paid results.
(One thing not included is that if you add "-ai" to a search, you block the AI summary) cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has...

4 weeks ago 2144 1015 57 112

Keynote session 3: Alan Lester - Københavns Universitets Videoportal Colonial Christian Missions and their Legacies:‘Missionaries, Humanitarianism and Race Across and Beyond the British Empire’Alan Lester (University of...

2. The still is from a lecture on missionaries and colonialism recorded in 2015, just as Biggar was becoming selectively interested in colonial history to try to defend Cecil Rhodes, as his statue in Oxford was being challenged. You can view all the lecture here:

video.ku.dk/video/116515...

1 month ago 61 5 3 1

I think that is actually the biggest problem with those systems.

It's not losing some random skill that we have made superflous, it's about taking skills that are the foundation for your agency in this world and your ability to understand it.

1 month ago 169 55 2 2

An ape holding a urine bottle, talking to a pig-like animal. This detail is on a page in a manuscript (SBB Ms. theol. lat. fol. 271).

"Listen mate, I know we both are trapped in this manuscript of around 1300 AD forever, but you really need to fill this urine bottle with your best hybrid creature 'mid-stream', and I'll bring it to the lab, all right?" #skystorians

1 month ago 82 13 4 2

Brepols - Debating Inoculation in Eighteenth-Century Europe Brepols is an international academic publisher of works in the humanities, with a particular focus in history, archaeology, history of the arts, language and literature, and critical editions of histo...

Looks like an important volume for teaching the history of smallpox inoculation & vaccination. #histmed

"This volume uncovers transnational public debates on inoculation against smallpox in eighteenth-century Europe, through the lens of periodical press sources." www.brepols.net/products/IS-...

2 months ago 6 3 0 0

From Global to Local? | Melusina Press ![reviewed](https://www.melusinapress.lu/static/review_badges/peer_board_full_manuscript_pre_publication_unblinded.svg) <br/> <br/> Der Sammelband “From Global to Local? Digitale Methoden in den Geist...

From Global to Local?
Digitale Methoden in den Geisteswissenschaften im deutschsprachigen Raum: Ein Triptychon
by
Ulrike Wuttke
Christopher Nunn
Christian Schröter (geb. Vater)
Melanie Seltmann
Christian Wachter

doi.org/10.26298/198...

#Mehrsprachigkeit #multilingualDH #DigitalHumanities #OA

2 months ago 5 3 0 0

Would You Survive Victorian Infancy? - Play online at textadventures.co.uk So you think you can survive childhood in 1856?

I looked for this ALL MORNING and finally found it

WOULD YOU SURVIVE VICTORIAN INFANCY?

textadventures.co.uk/games/view/l...

(The hosting is very 2003, but I made it on Twine in 2021 and must shift to hosting it locally)

2 months ago 40 23 4 4

Not sure but would happily watch the oldies again!

2 months ago 1 0 0 0

Historical fun fact:

2 months ago 47 10 2 0

Now that is neat - thanks for the tip!

3 months ago 1 0 0 0

Do tell us more! What can it do?

3 months ago 1 0 1 0

Opportunities Find opportunities to join UCL History in academic, research, teaching and learning, admin and other capacities below.

The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery (CSLBS) is excited to announce 3 new roles on our groundbreaking Valuable Lives project!

🔍 Open roles:
• 2 x Research Assistant (Digital Humanities)
• 1 x Research Fellow (Digital Humanities)

🗓 Closing date: 23 Jan 2026

shorturl.at/OCpLP

3 months ago 23 38 0 1

An advert for "Cocarettes" depicting a woman smoking on the front of the package, and a list of reasons to smoke them on the back.

The COCARETTE was a cigarette made with coca & tobacco leaves, c.1885. The company claimed that coca was “the finest nerve tonic and exhilarator ever discovered.”

#skystorians #medhist #medicalhistory #histmed

3 months ago 168 35 14 18

Eine schmale, verschneite Gasse in Hamburg-Blankenese bei Nacht. Im Vordergrund beleuchtet eine nostalgische Straßenlaterne den frischen Schnee auf einem Metallzaun und dem Gehweg. Links stehen historische Backsteinhäuser, im Hintergrund ragen schneebedeckte Bäume in den dunkelblauen Abendhimmel.

Blick aus einer engen, verschneiten Gasse im Treppenviertel hinunter auf die Elbe. Ein gemütlich beleuchtetes Fenster und eine Laterne rahmen den Durchgang ein. Im Hintergrund erkennt man auf der anderen Flussseite die hell erleuchteten, blauen und roten Containerkräne des Hamburger Hafens bei Nacht.

Der weite, tief verschneite Elbstrand in Övelgönne unter einem nächtlichen Sternenhimmel mit leichten Schleierwolken. Rechts am Hang ziehen sich beleuchtete Kapitänshäuser den Treppenviertel-Hügel hinauf, während links die dunkle Elbe und die fernen Lichter des gegenüberliegenden Ufers zu sehen sind.

Dicht an dicht stehende, schneebedeckte Strandstühle auf einer Terrasse im Vordergrund. Der Blick schweift über das Wasser auf das beeindruckende Panorama des Hamburger Hafens bei Nacht, dominiert von einer Vielzahl beleuchteter Containerkräne und einem großen Containerschiff unter einem tiefblauen Himmel.

Winterparadies am Elbstrand

3 months ago 134 28 2 1

Still life with pie, olives, & wine in really fab pitcher, 1611. From Clara Peeters, whose day is today, for your New Years Eve.

3 months ago 60 10 2 2

“A Fiery Rose upon the Skin” - Global Maritime History Welcome to the first instalment of our new series on “Health at Sea in the Age of Sail”! Every month, we will post a new article discussing common or not-so-common afflictions encountered below decks on the wooden sailing ships of the day. This first instalment addresses a less well-known condition, known as erysipelas, which—although usually not fatal—was quite traumatising to the common sailor nevertheless. In the medical lexicon of the early modern world, few diseases from the Age of Sail—roughly the mid-sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century—were as immediately alarming in appearance or as poorly understood as erysipelas. Known as St. Anthony’s Fire, ignis sacer, or simply ‘the rose’, it announced itself dramatically: a sudden fever followed by a sharply demarcated, vivid red swelling of the skin, hot to the touch and often exquisitely painful. It spread across a sailor’s face, limbs, or trunk, creeping across the skin and sometimes advancing inch by inch within hours. Its fiery aspect inspired dread among patients and surgeons alike, who interpreted the disease as an external manifestation of internal corruption. In the confined, unhygienic, and injury-prone environments of wooden sailing vessels, erysipelas was both common and dangerous, capable of progressing rapidly to delirium, gangrene, or death. It afflicted sailors, soldiers, convicts, and surgeons alike, leaving a trail of morbidity—and often mortality—across the maritime empires of Europe. Early modern interpretation Although modern medicine identifies erysipelas as an acute streptococcal infection of the superficial dermis (the skin’s upper layer), early modern practitioners understood it through a far older intellectual tradition rooted in humoral imbalance, miasmatic corruption, and constitutional weakness. Hippocratic writers distinguished erysipelas from deeper inflammatory conditions by its superficial nature and sharply defined borders, noting its tendency to migrate across the body. Galen (129–216 CE) and later medieval authorities framed the disease within humoral theory, attributing it to an excess or corruption of yellow bile that ‘rose to the surface’ of the skin. By the early modern period, erysipelas was not considered a specific disease but an inflammatory eruption caused by ‘acrimony’ or corruption of the blood, often provoked by external injury or internal excess. Thomas Sydenham (1624–1689) called it a febrile disorder marked by “a redness of the skin, with pain and swelling, chiefly affecting the face.” Surgeons described it as arising at the margins of wounds, where the skin became red and painful before the inflammation spread outward. In severe cases, suppuration (pus discharge), sloughing (shedding) of tissue, or progression to gangrene could follow. Crucially, erysipelas was understood as a systemic disorder, not merely a local skin complaint, a belief that profoundly shaped therapeutic practice. Medical writers distinguished erysipelas from phlegmonous inflammation, erythema (abnormal redness), and gangrene, although boundaries between these conditions remained indistinct. It might arise spontaneously, but more often it was associated with wounds, surgical incisions, ulcers, or even minor abrasions. The Age of Sail provided ideal conditions for its development. Ships were crowded, damp, and poorly ventilated; fresh water was rationed, clothing rarely washed, and wounds were all but inevitable. Even minor cuts—from ropes, spars, or splinters—could provide an entry point for infection. No relief on shore Naval hospitals and hospital ships fared little better. Overcrowding, reused dressings, and unwashed instruments facilitated postoperative erysipelas, although contemporaries explained outbreaks in terms of bad air, seasonal influence, or individual constitution. Some surgeons observed cases spreading from bed to bed, but this rarely resulted in systemic isolation. James Lind (1716–1794) observed that inflammatory diseases were common in warm climates, where heat and humidity exacerbated putrefaction. Erysipelas was frequently reported following amputations or abscess drainage, especially when instruments were reused with only cursory cleaning. Malnutrition increased vulnerability: vitamin deficiencies weakened the skin and impaired healing; chronic illness reduced resistance. Alcohol abuse, widespread among sailors, was also thought to predispose individuals to inflammatory disorders by ‘heating the blood’. Symptoms in context Erysipelas additionally carried rich cultural and religious meaning. The term St. Anthony’s Fire was shared with ergotism (a form of poisoning); the two conditions were not always clearly distinguished. Both were associated with burning pain, redness, and putrefaction, and both were sometimes interpreted as divinely inflicted. In Catholic Europe, St. Anthony the Great (251–356 CE) was invoked as protector against fiery skin diseases, while in Protestant maritime cultures the language of fire and corruption persisted. Sailors spoke of the flesh being ‘set alight’, and surgeons warned of internal heat seeking an outlet through the skin. Such metaphors were not merely rhetorical: they shaped therapeutic approaches aimed at cooling, diverting, or expelling the offending humors. Shipboard accounts describe patients developing chills, headache, and fever, followed by the rapid appearance of a bright red, swollen patch of skin. The affected area was hot, painful, and tense, with a raised edge advancing visibly over time. Facial erysipelas was particularly feared. Surgeons noted swelling of the eyelids, nose, and lips, sometimes leading to disfigurement or temporary blindness. When the scalp was involved, delirium and coma were common, suggesting that erysipelas could ‘strike inward’ and affect the brain. In severe cases, vesicles or bullae formed and ruptured, leaving the skin prone to gangrene. Septic complications—although not fully understood—were recognized through rapid deterioration, foul discharge, and death despite treatment. Shipboard treatment Treatment at sea reflected broader contemporary medical debates. The dominant approach was antiphlogistic: reducing inflammation by lowering humoral excess. Bloodletting was widely employed, particularly in otherwise healthy patients and early in the disease. Surgeons bled either from the arm or, in facial cases, locally from the temples or behind the ears. Purgatives and emetics were administered to cleanse the body, commonly using calomel, jalap, or antimony. Cooling regimens were standard: patients were kept on thin gruels, barley water, or whey and denied meat or alcohol. Internal remedies aimed at ‘cooling the blood’ included saline purgatives, antimonials, and diluting drinks. Rest was prescribed but difficult to enforce; sailors were valuable manpower, and unless severely ill, many returned to duty prematurely, risking relapse. Local treatments varied widely. Cooling poultices made from bread, milk, vinegar, or lead-based preparations (such as Goulard’s extract) […]

3 months ago 19 12 1 0

A journal editor reviews paper citing a paper “by” himself that he knows doesn’t exist.

He then finds a version of that nonexistent paper has been cited 42 times by other authors.

Yes, “AI is making it up” (but it’s not human, it has no ‘morality’), it’s the academics that are “making it up”

4 months ago 19 10 1 0

There is a new medical history feed at bsky.app/profile/did:... which, although not limited to any particular time, may be of interest to folk also watching #c18 #c19 #earlymodern and others.

4 months ago 7 4 1 0

Good moning all. Let's start with tea

Pieter van Roestraten - Tea set - 1630

#art #breakfast #foodhistory

4 months ago 27 5 4 1

State Library of Victoria faces job cuts as staff accuse management of pursuing ‘digital vanity projects’ Under the plan, 39 jobs would be lost and the public-facing workforce of reference librarians would be cut from 25 staff to 10 * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast State Library of Victoria staff have accused management of undermining the 171-year-old institution’s core purposes in favour of flashy tourist-oriented “digital vanity projects” in a proposed restructure. Under the plan, 39 jobs would be lost and the public-facing workforce of reference librarians would be cut from 25 staff to 10, while many publicly accessible computers would be removed. Continue reading...

State Library of Victoria faces job cuts as staff accuse management of pursuing ‘digital vanity projects’

4 months ago 19 8 0 3

Sign the Petition Save the State Library of Victoria!

c.org/Z2v6f9y5xY
The State Library of Victoria is facing massive cuts to its expert librarian workforce - the people who make the library such a great and popular resource for researchers, schoolkids, students and the general public. You can sign this petition against cuts to this analogue treasure.

4 months ago 2 1 0 1

Posts by Gabrielle Robilliard