Dr Lindsey Fitzharris
@drlindseyfitz.bsky.social
NYT Bestselling Author. Medical Historian. Breast Cancer Survivor.
Next book: SLEUTH-HOUND, a whirlwind tour of Victorian forensics from the perspective of the man who loaned a voice & razor-sharp logic to Baker St.’s famous resident: Sherlock Holmes.
Next book: SLEUTH-HOUND, a whirlwind tour of Victorian forensics from the perspective of the man who loaned a voice & razor-sharp logic to Baker St.’s famous resident: Sherlock Holmes.
I've fallen behind in my promotion of authors because I've been up against my own deadlines and dealing with ongoing medical issues. But I wanted to make up for lost time by recommending AMERICA THE ABANDONED by @brysans.bsky.social. Trust me, you're gonna love this one. And give him a follow!
November 10, 2025 at 5:53 PM
I've fallen behind in my promotion of authors because I've been up against my own deadlines and dealing with ongoing medical issues. But I wanted to make up for lost time by recommending AMERICA THE ABANDONED by @brysans.bsky.social. Trust me, you're gonna love this one. And give him a follow!
Glasgow fought tuberculosis long after rates fell elsewhere in Britain. In 1957, the city launched a month-long mass X-ray drive—backed by a full media blitz. This ad appeared on the side of a tram. This image is from the Wellcome Collection, London.
#Glasgow #Scotland #PublicHealth #TB #MedHist
#Glasgow #Scotland #PublicHealth #TB #MedHist
November 10, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Glasgow fought tuberculosis long after rates fell elsewhere in Britain. In 1957, the city launched a month-long mass X-ray drive—backed by a full media blitz. This ad appeared on the side of a tram. This image is from the Wellcome Collection, London.
#Glasgow #Scotland #PublicHealth #TB #MedHist
#Glasgow #Scotland #PublicHealth #TB #MedHist
Psst... have you or your little ones read my and @tealcartoons.bsky.social's latest kids' book, DEAD ENDS - about how failure is essential to scientific progress? If so, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, etc - those reviews really help authors like us!
November 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Psst... have you or your little ones read my and @tealcartoons.bsky.social's latest kids' book, DEAD ENDS - about how failure is essential to scientific progress? If so, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, etc - those reviews really help authors like us!
I also love the UK cover - which was designed by my British publisher, @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social. Each foreign publisher comes up with a new cover. It's fun to see the ways in which one's work is interpreted in different markets. Here are a few other covers (Dutch and Polish). /End
November 9, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I also love the UK cover - which was designed by my British publisher, @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social. Each foreign publisher comes up with a new cover. It's fun to see the ways in which one's work is interpreted in different markets. Here are a few other covers (Dutch and Polish). /End
The US cover is an homage to Harold Gillies's own book on plastic surgery - which features his hands holding instruments. My husband @tealcartoons.bsky.social took that concept and added the reflection of the wounded soldier to convey that this is not a story about one person, but many people. /8
November 9, 2025 at 1:23 PM
The US cover is an homage to Harold Gillies's own book on plastic surgery - which features his hands holding instruments. My husband @tealcartoons.bsky.social took that concept and added the reflection of the wounded soldier to convey that this is not a story about one person, but many people. /8
You can learn more about Sir Harold Gillies, the mask makers, and the disfigured soldiers of the First World War in my book, THE FACEMAKER - available wherever books are sold. Below is the US cover (left) and UK cover (right). /7
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
November 9, 2025 at 1:23 PM
You can learn more about Sir Harold Gillies, the mask makers, and the disfigured soldiers of the First World War in my book, THE FACEMAKER - available wherever books are sold. Below is the US cover (left) and UK cover (right). /7
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
It was there that he assembled a unique group of practitioners that included artists and mask makers. Their task was to restore what had been torn apart, to recreate what had been destroyed. Gillies and his team restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits /6
November 9, 2025 at 1:21 PM
It was there that he assembled a unique group of practitioners that included artists and mask makers. Their task was to restore what had been torn apart, to recreate what had been destroyed. Gillies and his team restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits /6
My book, THE FACEMAKER, is about the pioneering surgeon Harold Gillies, who rebulit soldiers' faces during World War I. Gillies established the world’s first hospital dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction. /5
November 9, 2025 at 1:20 PM
My book, THE FACEMAKER, is about the pioneering surgeon Harold Gillies, who rebulit soldiers' faces during World War I. Gillies established the world’s first hospital dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction. /5
The metal was painted with hard enamel to resemble the recipient's skin tone. Ladd then used real hair to create the eyelashes, eyebrows and moustaches. Had it not been for her efforts, many of these men would have lived in isolation. /4
November 9, 2025 at 1:19 PM
The metal was painted with hard enamel to resemble the recipient's skin tone. Ladd then used real hair to create the eyelashes, eyebrows and moustaches. Had it not been for her efforts, many of these men would have lived in isolation. /4
Artists sculpted masks for disfigured soldiers. This prosthesis was created by the American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. During the war, she created masks of the soldiers’ faces from clay or plasticine in order to create a prosthetic piece made of thin galvanized copper. /3
November 9, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Artists sculpted masks for disfigured soldiers. This prosthesis was created by the American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. During the war, she created masks of the soldiers’ faces from clay or plasticine in order to create a prosthetic piece made of thin galvanized copper. /3
The war claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate suffering. Not all soldiers had access to surgery, nor did everyone wish to undergo months (or years) of painful operations. /2
November 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The war claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate suffering. Not all soldiers had access to surgery, nor did everyone wish to undergo months (or years) of painful operations. /2
Facial prosthesis, c.1917. THREAD for #RemembranceSunday🧵
From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. /1
From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. /1
November 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Facial prosthesis, c.1917. THREAD for #RemembranceSunday🧵
From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. /1
From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. /1
#OTD 1867, Marie Curie was born.
During WWI, Curie created a vehicle that contained a hospital bed, a generator, an X-ray machine and photographic darkroom equipment. These “petite Curies" (below) could be driven right up to the Front. Curie also helped train 150 women as radiology technicians.
During WWI, Curie created a vehicle that contained a hospital bed, a generator, an X-ray machine and photographic darkroom equipment. These “petite Curies" (below) could be driven right up to the Front. Curie also helped train 150 women as radiology technicians.
November 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
#OTD 1867, Marie Curie was born.
During WWI, Curie created a vehicle that contained a hospital bed, a generator, an X-ray machine and photographic darkroom equipment. These “petite Curies" (below) could be driven right up to the Front. Curie also helped train 150 women as radiology technicians.
During WWI, Curie created a vehicle that contained a hospital bed, a generator, an X-ray machine and photographic darkroom equipment. These “petite Curies" (below) could be driven right up to the Front. Curie also helped train 150 women as radiology technicians.
A pewter syringe (1711) recovered from the shipwreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, famed Pirate Black Beard's stolen flagship. The urethral syringe contained mercury, which most likely treated pirates aboard ailing from syphilis. More info: www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning...
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 AM
A pewter syringe (1711) recovered from the shipwreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, famed Pirate Black Beard's stolen flagship. The urethral syringe contained mercury, which most likely treated pirates aboard ailing from syphilis. More info: www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning...
One side of this ivory "memento mori" features a human face crawling with worms and insects; the other side shows a skull - the flesh eaten away. Date unknown.
This unusual object is from the Wellcome Collection in London.
This unusual object is from the Wellcome Collection in London.
November 5, 2025 at 10:05 AM
One side of this ivory "memento mori" features a human face crawling with worms and insects; the other side shows a skull - the flesh eaten away. Date unknown.
This unusual object is from the Wellcome Collection in London.
This unusual object is from the Wellcome Collection in London.
Since someone seems to be accusing me of "plagiarism," let me just point out that I shared this story on X in 2018, so it looks like "All Things Interesting" are the ones who copied my tweet. But also, who cares? I hate this kind of "gotcha."
November 3, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Since someone seems to be accusing me of "plagiarism," let me just point out that I shared this story on X in 2018, so it looks like "All Things Interesting" are the ones who copied my tweet. But also, who cares? I hate this kind of "gotcha."
This prosthetic eye made from a mixture of natural tar and animal fat is nearly 5,000 years old. It was found near the city of Zabol in Iran in 2006. Archaeologists believe that the prosthetic eye, which was once painted gold, was worn by an ancient priestess who stood 6’ tall.
November 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
This prosthetic eye made from a mixture of natural tar and animal fat is nearly 5,000 years old. It was found near the city of Zabol in Iran in 2006. Archaeologists believe that the prosthetic eye, which was once painted gold, was worn by an ancient priestess who stood 6’ tall.
Happy #Halloween! A few years ago, midwives at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Lancashire created "dilation pumpkins" - and I don't think I've ever seen anything scarier in my life.* 😂😩
*Posted with apologies to anyone who is pregnant.
*Posted with apologies to anyone who is pregnant.
October 31, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Happy #Halloween! A few years ago, midwives at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Lancashire created "dilation pumpkins" - and I don't think I've ever seen anything scarier in my life.* 😂😩
*Posted with apologies to anyone who is pregnant.
*Posted with apologies to anyone who is pregnant.
Ah, Texas genuflecting to Trump and his baseless, unscientific claims. What a farce the US has become.
October 28, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Ah, Texas genuflecting to Trump and his baseless, unscientific claims. What a farce the US has become.
I went down a rabbit hole reading about Charlie Chaplin, which led me to wonder if anyone donned the "toothbrush moustache" after WWII. Lo and behold, there were a handful of people who did sport the "Hitler moustache" - including Fred F-ing Trump. SURPRISE, SURPRISE.
October 28, 2025 at 10:13 AM
I went down a rabbit hole reading about Charlie Chaplin, which led me to wonder if anyone donned the "toothbrush moustache" after WWII. Lo and behold, there were a handful of people who did sport the "Hitler moustache" - including Fred F-ing Trump. SURPRISE, SURPRISE.
Halloween is nearly upon us! Here's "Witches: five silhouetted figures." Aquatint by M. Dubourg after B.A. Townshend, 1815.
From the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
From the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
October 26, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Halloween is nearly upon us! Here's "Witches: five silhouetted figures." Aquatint by M. Dubourg after B.A. Townshend, 1815.
From the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
From the @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
Three glass eyes with portable velvet carrying case and mirror, c.1870. These were likely meant to be carried by an ocularist – someone who specialized in making and fitting prosthetic eyes – to assist them in making the best possible match to the patient’s remaining eye.
October 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Three glass eyes with portable velvet carrying case and mirror, c.1870. These were likely meant to be carried by an ocularist – someone who specialized in making and fitting prosthetic eyes – to assist them in making the best possible match to the patient’s remaining eye.
I got the samovar home and found the perfect spot in my kitchen... totally worth it!
October 22, 2025 at 11:50 AM
I got the samovar home and found the perfect spot in my kitchen... totally worth it!
Me: I have too much stuff in my house.
Also me: I need this copper samovar.
Reader: I bought it.
Also me: I need this copper samovar.
Reader: I bought it.
October 21, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Me: I have too much stuff in my house.
Also me: I need this copper samovar.
Reader: I bought it.
Also me: I need this copper samovar.
Reader: I bought it.